JRugby2
Bill Watson (15)
I would support the silly water breaks after 20 minutes if they banned water from the field, if you need a drink, go to the wing during the game and have a drink from a trainer. Water on the field should be to flush wounds or rinse blood from the mouth.
Just practically speaking you rarely see this anyway as usually there is a natural stoppage in the game anyway. Otherwise the laws of game specifically say this:
6.7. The referee gives permission for players to leave the playing area. However, a player may access water from their technical area, or from behind the dead ball line after a try has been awarded, without needing permission.
6.28. The following may enter the playing area provided they do not interfere with play:
- Two nominated water carriers during a stoppage in play for an injury to a player or when a try has been scored. (Note: the hot weather guidelines may warrant a one minute break per half.)
- Only when no tries are scored should a natural stoppage, in a neutral place on the pitch, be used to allow players to receive water. Where this coincides with an injury, water-carriers must leave the pitch as the medic leaves the pitch.
Re: injuries - in some cases (in say contact based head/neck injuries or even lower limb injuries) it may not be immediately obvious if the injury is serious or not, and they need assessment in place to determine the severity. Sure - that is exploited by teams who make players feign injuries to kill the game momentum, but if to counter that you start mandating that players be moved you open up a huuuuuuuge legal can of worms in who makes that decision, and what framework they need to follow in order to make that decision - the end result being that once a suitably qualified person goes through that process, you probably don't save any more time anyway.
Downtime in play is shit - no arguments there, but the practicalities of all of those suggestions fall down at the slightest bit of interrogation. I feel the game is better off exploring ways in which to increase the ball in play time from its abysmal 30-35mins per 80 that it is now, rather than through want you've suggested in order to increase the flow of the game.
I don't mind the shoelace thing - ultimately there will be a way around that too that no doubt teams will find, but that is literally the game teams have been playing since the dawn of the sport: "Here's a rule - lets find away around it"