Works great with ROD, I do use a pencil or pointed stick first - go all friday the thirteenth on the plastic, if the ROD is a smaller dia sometimes you'll snap the cuttings trying to push them through the plastic. Pre-poking all the holes just makes it easier.
The only pain is when you harvest. Just cut them back and used the new cuttings for the next batch (unless you want the taller plants to plant I usually get 2' to 3' of growth out of them by the end of summer). Then when you do go to harvest them for planting you can just lift the plastic off or pull the plants down and through. Reuse the leftover potting soil for something else.
I'm going to make some wooden bed forms and lay poly into them, fill, cover and then do the hole trick next year - something like 2'x10'x10" or 12" box frames. I have access to free composted soil (city landfill ) so that will be cheaper then buying soil in bags even though those bags have worked awesome for doing something like 25-50 cuttings per bag. The frames should be just as easy to do, more cuttings, and cheaper in the long run.
The bags are super low maintenance - I rarely have to water them. Just keep them in a safe spot from deer and rabbits the new shoots are like candy to them.