Time must be called on endless game breaks

PERPETUAL stoppages have become the scourge of international rugby. The biggest culprits in this regard are South Africa. The world champions are using cynical stop-start tactics to disrupt the opposition flow and stall momentum at crucial moments when the Springboks are under pressure, or, alternatively, using calls for medical assistance to get a breather before a big push of their own to get over the opposition line.

It is pure gamesmanship, with Springbok players continuously shamming minor injuries by dropping to one knee, or staying on the deck after a collision not tackle. More often than not, this allows them to get a miked-up water carrier coach, or physio, on the field with instructions for the next play, while the rest of their South African comrades fill their lungs.

South Africa are not the only culprits, but at the moment they are the worst offenders by a distance. The ‘time-outs’ reached a nadir during the Second Test of the Lions tour this summer when they resulted in a 62 minute first-half, and a match which went over the 100 minute threshold due to the slow march of the Springboks.

This meant that an extra quarter was dedicated to South African players holding up the game to receive ‘treatment’, or delaying at set-pieces, or over-anxious match officials dallying over TMO replays.

World Rugby, which remains hopelessly reactive rather than proactive, did nothing. This was no surprise given the way it foisted a South African TMO on the Lions rather than find a neutral official, and was then supine and toothless after the Springbok director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, dragged the game into disrepute with his hour-long social media rant about how the match officials in the First Test favoured the tourists.

The gamesmanship worked against the Lions as South Africa scraped home 2-1 in an ugly, uninspiring series. However, matters have started to come to a head in the Rugby Championship, with South African go-slow tactics under scrutiny from Australia and New Zealand camps, which – having seen the Lions tour – were wise to the subterfuge.

Three defeats in a row – two to Australia, and another last weekend to New Zealand in the 100th Test between the two nations – have put a dent in South Africa’s world champion status.

One of the most notable improvements has been the heat put on Faf de Klerk by referees to clear the ball at caterpillar rucks. Where the Bok scrum-half was given countless minutes to box-kick the skin off the ball during the Lions tour, against New Zealand the English referee, Luke Pearce, constantly enforced the five second rule instructing him to “use it”.

In addition, the Antipodeans have broken cover to take potshots at South African gamesmanship, with the Kiwis at the forefront. While Robbie Deans, the former Wallaby coach and All Black full-back, and New Zealand coach, Ian Foster, defended the right of the Springboks to play any style of rugby they wanted, they were highly critical of their constant player and coachled interruptions in play.

The number of Springbok forwards flopping over also led the All Black loosehead, Joe Moody, to comment on the number of intermissions for tea-breaks (‘smokos’ in Kiwi parlance), conjuring an image of the pitch in Townsville being more like a building site than a Test arena.

There are very clear-cut and easily applied solutions to this unacceptable level of gamesmanship. The simple rule of thumb is that if a player is not fit to continue they must leave the pitch. This means that any injured player who is able to walk should be treated in a medical dugout on the sidelines, instead of being allowed to hold up the match by staying on the pitch.

If they need treatment – or even instruction from a coach – it means their team facing the deterrent of being a man down while they are off the pitch, with no replacement allowed until a diagnosis has been made.

If a player pretends to be incapacitated and unable to walk, but then miraculously becomes able-bodied when play resumes, it should be a sinbinning offence.

In addition, no physios or water carriers should be allowed on the field. The area of operations for physios has to be limited to medical dugouts, with access to the pitch allowed only if they assist when a player has to be carried or stretchered off due to injury.

Water carriers should also be confined to four stations, two on each side of the pitch, where they can dispense water – nothing more, nothing less. They should be prevented from wearing microphones, and receiving tactical instructions from coaches.

Coaches have six and a half days a week to get their message across, and another break at half-time to make running repairs. Other than that, on the afternoon/evening of a match, they should be back in their boxes with the players taking centre stage.

There is an urgent need for action right now to halt the endless stoppages and influx of bogus water carriers and physios which are turning the pro game into a farce.

International rugby’s shop window needs cleaning-up before there is nothing left in it worth looking at. But is World Rugby listening, let alone capable of decisive action?

“The simple rule of thumb is that if a player is not fit to continue they must leave the pitch”