Free State 30 - Sharks 14

Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la
There’s a Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la la
Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la
He looks like the devil in disguise
Wise wise

Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
Come on show me your motion
Tra la la la la la
Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
He looks like the devil in disguise
Wise wise

All the beer’s run dry
Got no more to slake my thirst
All the beer’s run dry
Got no more to slake my thirst

I remember one Saturday night
We had a team that beat FreeState
I remember one Saturday night
We had a team that beat FreeState

Beng-a-deng
Beng-a-deng

Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la
There’s a Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la la
Rassie on the roof
Tra la la la la
He looks like the devil in disguise
Wise wise

REPEAT AD NAUSEUM

Synopsis:

John Bishop sums up the game well here and here. And the bunny lives on with its 8th life.

But essentially it is started with a ridiculous childish gamble of teamlist muddling and confusion from Dick Muir. Add an intimidated referee who awarded 7 quick penalties to the Free State in the horrific first quarter while the Free State coach marshalled his troops from the rooftop with coloured paddle signals. An overenthusiastic linesman then decided that Ackerman's punch deserved 10 minutes in the bin.

It was all downhill after that.

But what about the rules here? This is one that is not being enforced by the refs beyond a bit a of plaintiff pleading by them. Time for some penalties to be issued for this.

(Rule 1.7) During a match no person other than the players, the referee and the touch judges may be within the playing enclosure or the playing area unless with the permission of the referee which shall be given only for a special and temporary purpose.

Play may continue during minor injuries with a medically trained person being permitted to come on to the playing area to attend the player or the player going to the touch-line. Continuation of play during minor injuries is subject to the referee's permission and to his authority to stop play at any time.

At half time the referee shall allow the coach of each team on to the playing area to attend their teams.

Players are being attended to pretty much all the time by waterboys and "doctors", often disrupting play.  The fact that these staff are fitted with communication earpieces suggests that their role on the field is more than simply administering bandages and anaesthetic spray. This must either be formalised or stopped. Nothing pees me off more than sports where loopholes are exploited - it's just not fair play as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe I'm too old school or idealistic, but I really believe that the battle should be played and won/lost on the field without the influence of an army of generals and technicians sitting on the roof.  A few stern and insightful words at half-time should suffice.
Where does it all stop? Earpieces in the ears of all the players? Satellite tracking of your opposite number? Embedded TV's in your eyeball so you can replay the last opposition move? Microphones on the field and team of crack code-breakers to figure out the lineout codes? Live wind speed and direction analysis to guide place kickers where to aim?

It's a similar "can't beat them then join them" mindset that continues from a previous posts about "thigh binding".

Disappointing from the Sharks.

But what the hell, the motto of the lone Sharks supporter lives on:
 Dum spiro, spero