The Otago Spirit-Manawatu Farah Palmer Cup rugby match had to be shifted from the University Oval to Logan Park No 6 at late notice at the weekend.
Manawatu raised safety concerns during their captain’s run on Friday about the state of the surface.
A source close to the Otago team said they "wholeheartedly supported Manawatu and their concerns".
"[The] wicket block was rock-hard", the source said and not suitable for a rugby match.
"The game had been scheduled for a couple of months yet the groundsman made no attempt to get it ready for a first-class rugby fixture. DCC really dropped the ball here."
The Dunedin City Council declined to be interviewed but provided a written response.
"We were disappointed by the decision to transfer the Otago Spirit game from the University of Otago Oval to Logan Park No 6," the email stated.
"Our highly qualified ground staff spent many hours preparing the pitch in the same way they always do, to the same standard, and we believe the ground was ready for play.
"The cricket block in the middle of the pitch does make for a different surface to run on compared to the surrounding grass, but it has been a feature of the University of Otago Oval for many years – and many rugby matches – without issue.
"Our grounds staff work really hard to provide the best possible surface at the ground for all users and sporting codes."
Cricket and rugby have been engaged in a gentle tug of war over the use of the facility since the Otago Cricket Association shifted from Carisbrook to the University Oval in 2004.
It is a multiuse venue. But essentially cricket has dibs during the summer and rugby gets it for the other half of the year.
The overlap has always been awkward. Transitioning the ground from an international cricket venue back to a rugby ground takes time and vice versa.
In 2017 the Dunedin premier grade club rugby semifinals had to be shifted from the University Oval to Hancock Park after the venue failed an inspection following some heavy rain in the city.
The wicket block had become boggy and the surface was deemed unsuitable to host the fixtures.
The opposite was true on Saturday but it is a variation of an old problem.
Otago Rugby Football Union Richard Kinley said it was "a difficult balance in getting a wicket ready for cricket but also having it match-ready for rugby during winter and into August", he wrote.
"Going forward we are fortunate that we have a close working relationship with the DCC who understand our needs and fields like Logan Park6 and the newly refurbished Tahuna Park are available to use.
"Obviously [it was] disappointing having to move a nationally televised first-class fixture. However, Logan Park No 6 was in excellent condition having been used for Fifa World Cup trainings and playing there meant both teams still had access to the facilities at University Oval."
