Stop-start: Are water breaks diluting rugby's match pace?

Rassie Erasmus acting as a water carrier. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)

By Jon Cardinelli

9 Oct 2022

Some stoppages are necessary in rugby. Others – and their duration – exacerbate the problem of the game’s stop-start nature. Water breaks could be adding more stopping and starting to an already stop-start situation.

In July 2021, the second Test between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions finished more than two hours after kickoff. The high number of stoppages, as well as the inordinate amount of time taken by officials to review and deliberate over potential foul play incidents, killed the flow of the contest and detracted from the spectacle.

Critics bemoaned lengthy reviews that dragged on for several minutes at a time. Some took aim at the personnel tasked with carrying water on to the field at every stoppage. Others suggested that Rassie Erasmus’s scathing video analysis of the officials in the first Test of the series had contributed to the turgid state of affairs in the second.

Whatever the case, most were in agreement that the sport needed to do better in delivering a dynamic contest to captivate new and existing fans. Though that match witnessed several breathtaking moments – Lukhanyo Am’s try swung the series in the Boks’ favour – an 80-minute game stretching beyond the two-hour mark should never be accepted as the norm.

And yet, here we are, 14 months later, lamenting stoppages and contrived breaks in play that add to a game’s running time.

Stoppages mar start to URC

The clash between the Bulls and Connacht in round three of the United Rugby Championship (URC) was disrupted by stoppages and finished later than expected. The host broadcaster stayed with the match at Loftus Versfeld until its conclusion, before switching to the subsequent URC fixture between Cardiff and the Lions. The game in the Welsh capital was already two minutes old.

The next day, the Stormers hosted Edinburgh in front of a small crowd at Cape Town Stadium. The stop-start nature of the contest did nothing to enhance the atmosphere, nor did the time taken to review and rule on specific decisions. Those in attendance would have noted the frustration of the fans every time the whistle was blown and the officials turned to the big screen.

One reason for an increase in running time – and more momentum-killing stoppages – is the two mandatory water breaks per half.

World Rugby introduced these in May 2022 to “improve the flow of the game, reduce the opportunity for potential interference, enhance the spectacle for fans and support match management by match officials”. On evidence, however, water breaks compound the problem.

“I don’t know how other teams feel, but I generally don’t think the water breaks are helping us,” Bulls coach Jake White said after his side’s win against Connacht. “Breaks could come at an important time, like when you’re building pressure.

“We have half-time, then straight after that, we kick the ball down the field, Connacht dot down, and a second later their prop is getting attention. That’s fine because maybe that guy really needs it. But then we call the water break a few minutes later? It’s a domino effect of what happens in those 10 to 15 minutes that influences the rhythm of both teams.

“We’ve got to have a discussion about whether we really need them or not. Of course, there will be times when I’d love one because we’re under the pump, but that’s secondary to a game losing its shape.”

erasmus Rassie Erasmus acting as a water carrier. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)

More starting, less stopping?

At a URC media roundtable this week, former Springbok captain John Smit suggested the problem is bigger than water breaks.

“It would make sense to have water breaks every 20 minutes, but they’ve just added more stopping and starting to an already stop-start situation,” Smit said.

“Water breaks should be a health and safety measure. There should be clearly defined criteria for when they should take place. That way fans can have a better understanding of the rules and there won’t be as many unnecessary interruptions.”

Steps have been taken in recent years to improve player welfare and particularly the safety of individuals during a match.

Head injury assessments (HIA) are now commonplace, and officials have been instructed to take their time when ruling on foul play incidents, especially those that involve collisions in which one or more players sustain a blow to the neck or head.

By and large, the greater rugby community has accepted that stoppages are necessary for the sake of player welfare. That said, the length of the decision-making process, as well as the standard and consistency of the officiating around incidents, leaves a lot to be desired.

Streamlining the sport

Several competitions have introduced restrictions on goal-kicking, with the kicker afforded 90 seconds for a conversion and 60 seconds for a penalty. Earlier this year, the Varsity Cup trialled a modified 50/22 law, which awarded the attacking team a free kick rather than a lineout in the opposition 22 – to lift the tempo of the contest.

Australia is trialling several new laws in its Queensland Challenger Series. Although lineouts and mauls have their place in the modern game, the time taken for players to move towards the touchline and organise the set piece is excessive.

The game may benefit from a shot clock in this area – 30 seconds from when the mark is set. Rushing the scrumhalf to “use” the ball at the back of a ruck – within a timeframe of five seconds – may also improve the flow.

Much time is wasted in scrum resets. But in setting a 30-second limit on this set piece, authorities have opened the door for teams with weaker scrums to manipulate situations.

It’s worth remembering the role set pieces such as scrums play in creating space and attacking opportunities. Fewer completed scrums will see fewer situations in which attacking teams enjoy such an advantage.

Some innovations – if properly implemented and officiated – may result in more ball-in-play time. That may lead to a more flowing contest, or at least mitigate what Smit described as a “stop-start situation”.

Several mandatory water breaks in addition to necessary stoppages will surely compromise that objective. Not for the first time, rugby’s lawmakers have implemented changes that exacerbate a problem. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.

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Stoppages mar start to URC

More starting, less stopping?

Streamlining the sport