Pull the plug on ‘pro’ water carriers
TThe Boks head coach tacitly admitted he uses them to intimidate and influence the match officials
he collective noun for water carriers has yet to be determined but while the doyens at Merriamwebster ponder this eternal question, may I propose a blight of water carriers? Or, failing that, an irritation of water carriers?
There are countless more pressing issues in the to-do lists of rugby’s decision-makers but as personal vexations go, the sight of six water boys on the pitch approximately every 30 seconds is right up there with the Tannoy affliction that is Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
To be clear: players have a right to water. Whether they need it before the very first scrum in a midwinter match is another matter.
Regardless, their designated purpose is not the problem. It is how their role has evolved, whereby hydration is merely a cover for relaying every tactical whim of the coaching box, to acting as an intimidating presence around the officials. And even though this is now accepted as established practice, the water carriers are stepping past those already stretched boundaries.
The latest case came last Saturday in Exeter’s victory at Wasps. With Exeter camped on the Wasps line, the ball came loose as referee Wayne Barnes awarded the Chiefs a penalty. As Jack Maunder went to retrieve the ball, Scott Barrow, Wasps’ backs-transition coach, back-heeled the ball out of play. Exeter were understandably annoyed at being prevented from taking a quick tap penalty, and a melee between the sides resulted in Barrow being sent off by Barnes.
Barrow subsequently received a one-week ban while Peter Atkinson, another Wasps member of staff masquerading as water boy, received the same punishment for comments made towards Barnes.
A far more egregious example came in the Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and South Africa when a Springbok water boy ran up the touchline screaming at the assistant referee claiming his side had won a 50:22. English referee Matthew Carley had to warn the water carrier that he would be sent off if he continued in this vein.
After the match, South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber revealed that the water carrier had been carrying out his personal instructions. The tacit admission by the head coach of the world champions that he uses water carriers to intimidate and influence the officials received remarkably little comment at the time, which probably shows how bad a state of affairs we have reached.
Of course, during the Lions series, it was Rassie Erasmus who had been carrying out this hired goon role. In any case, Carley was perfectly correct in his decision, as the Springbok kicker had taken the ball back inside his own half before kicking to the 22.
The good news is that action is finally being taken by brave referees such as Barnes and Carley, while we report elsewhere on these pages that World Rugby intends to re-examine the laws around this area. As with much else in rugby, if there is a small opening, expect coaches to drive a tank through it. So, the Springboks navigated the ban on the head coach fulfilling the water-carrier role by sending Erasmus, their director of rugby, on to the field. As a leading referee told Telegraph Sport, even without saying anything, 6ft 4in Erasmus is an intimidating physical presence when standing in your eyeline while you are making a key decision.
Perhaps the cleanest solution would be to ban players or coaches filling this role. What is to stop water carriers being teenage volunteers or academy players, like ball boys in football or tennis? At a stroke, this would stop the bullying of officials. Whether they admit it or not, the players would also probably welcome the end of the constant flow of messages from the stands. And being allowed to play the game how they see it on the pitch rather than being controlled like an NFL quarterback through a headpiece.
While commentating on the Wasps incident on BT Sport, Lawrence Dallaglio noted: “Water carriers and their role within the game is an ongoing debate.”
There should be no debate. Their role should be to carry water. Nothing more.