Have a laugh: Erasmus says he may have to change job title to stay Bok ‘water-carrier’

South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has cheekily reacted to World Rugby announcing they will clamp down on team staff entering the playing field during rugby matches.

Erasmus copped plenty of criticism, mainly from supporters of and the coaching team of the British and Irish Lions, during last year’s tour of South Africa where the director of rugby acted as a “water-carrier” to pass on advice and information to the Springbok players.

Following the announcement by World Rugby on Tuesday that they were going to trial new regulations which will limit the number of people allowed on the field during matches, Erasmus cheekily responded with a tweet that said he may have to consider his job title in future.

World Rugby, in their statement about the trial, specifically state: “Water-carriers cannot be a Director of Rugby or Head Coach.”

Erasmus had this to say:

Erasmus, who copped a ban from World Rugby for making a video criticising the refereeing performance in the first Boks-Lions Test last year, seems to think he might get away with a change in job title – by going from Director of Rugby or Head Coach (prior to Jacques Nienaber taking over) to “Director of Coaching”.

The new rules governing what water-carriers can and can’t do in future are now clearly stipulated in World Rugby’s statement, with the regulations to come into effect from 1 July.

These are the new “adjustments”:

Medics:

1. Can only provide water to players who they are treating
2. Cannot field or touch a ball when it is live in play (sanction: penalty kick)

Additional personnel:

1. Teams are permitted up to two dedicated water carriers
2. Water carriers cannot be a Director of Rugby or Head Coach
3. In elite-level rugby, water carriers will only be able to enter the field of play twice per half at points agreed with the match officials – this can only be during a stoppage in play or after a try has been scored
4. A person bringing on a kicking tee may carry one bottle for the kicker’s use only
5. These water/tee carriers must remain in the Technical Zone at all times before entering the field of play as permitted. Any attempt to field or touch the ball while it is live in play, including the technical zone, will be sanctioned with a penalty kick.
6. No-one should approach, address or aim comments at the match officials, save for medics in respect of treatment of a player. Should this happen, the sanction will be a penalty kick.

Players on the field:

1. May access water behind the dead ball line or from within their Technical Zone at any time.