Saracens players got a taste of the artificial pitch at their new stadium as they held their first training session at Allianz Park.

The former Copthall Stadium, in Champions Way, has been transformed in preparation for the Premiership rugby club’s arrival for their first league game on February 16.

The club is moving to the stadium from Vicarage Road in Watford and is the first professional team in the world to install a synthetic pitch at its home ground.

Local schools and clubs will be invited between games to use the surface, which is made with a soft yarn, sand and rubber.