Rugby's lawmakers need to get a grip on the number of stoppages in the game, according to Bernard Jackman and Jonny Holland.
It comes after the recent round of BKT United Rugby Championship games was plagued by lengthy delays, with the first half between Munster and Zebre Parma in Cork taking 57 minutes to complete, and Connacht's meeting with the Bulls last Friday lasting for more than two hours.
Connacht coach Andy Friend yesterday spoke about how the game needs to speed up, while Donncha O'Callaghan was also hugely critical of the designated water-breaks introduced by World Ruby this summer.
Ironically, World Rugby have been trialing water-breaks in a bid to speed up the game, while also limiting the coaching personnel who can enter the field of play, largely in response to South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, and his high-profile role as a water-carrier during the 2021 British and Irish Lions series against the Springboks.
Holland, who is head coach of Cork Constitution in the Energia All-Ireland League, says the game's lawmakers are trying to fix a problem that never really existed.
"I can't understand the water-break," he said on this week's RTÉ Rugby podcast.
"When we were going through law changes with referees at the start of the season, I was wondering 'is this all about Rassie [Erasmus]?"
And while he admits some coaches have been able to deliberately slow down games in the past, and use stoppages to deliver tactical messages, he doesn't believe the issue had ever reached the tipping point.
"What's wrong with bringing messages out to the onto the pitch? I don't understand this. If a coach is really controlling them that much, then they're not going to be a great team anyway. But running messages onto the pitch with water, I don't think it got out of hand. So, I'm kind of confused by it as well.
"I'm a nutritionist by trade, so with bringing water onto the pitch, I'm never going to give out about it. But, it just wasn't broken. I think whatever happened to Rassie needed to be fixed but the water breaks, I just find baffling."
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The new water-breaks are only part of the current timekeeping issue.
Munster's 21-5 win against Zebre had to contend with several injury stoppages, and while these are issues the game has to live with, Jackman believes the television match official needs to be given more autonomy to make decisions on behalf of the referee, which would eliminate the need for lengthy delays.
"I think that was as bad as I've seen, that game." Jackman said of Munster's first half against Zebre.
"Sometimes the contest itself and the quality of play papers over to the obvious distractions of TMO and length of time it takes.
"In fairness at the moment, the referees and TMOs are just sticking through the protocols, so the TMO doesn't have the right to enforce the decision. But I think World Rugby are going to have to look at it, with the financial issues in the game.
"With us struggling to bring down the age profile of fans, they've looked at the laws in terms of things like the 50:22, to create more space, but I think the biggest hurdle to making the game better as a spectacle now is how we officiate it.
"Things like the water-break is part of it, but obviously the protocols around the TMO. I would be very much in favour of the team will be able to give a decision to the referee once it's clear-cut, but that's a long way away."
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