Gits is waterboy this weekend.
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Gits is waterboy this weekend.
I can give you my experience and some thoughts. This is not intended to be a reflection on RugbyWA protocol, nor is it the definitive reply on behalf on anyone except me.
1) Some years back I refereed a 3rds game between Soaks & ARKS when a player went down during a phase of play. (I can't particularly remember if it was just a tackle or whether a ruck or maul had formed) The ball emerged and went out to the backs. I was aware that the player stayed down but, as the ball was moving away from him, I simply followed play. When the ball started coming back down the line and it was obvious it was going to get fairly close to the guy who was down, I stopped play. Remember in 3rds there is no injury time. Just as I was about to stop play there was a number of players calling out to me to draw my attention to the injured player. Players from both sides. When the player had been attended to and carried off (and replaced), we restarted with a scrum to the team last in possession at the place where I had stopped play.
2) In more recent times I was a TJ for 1st grade when a similar thing happened. I don't know if the ref had noticed the injured play - I suspect not as play had moved on and he was keeping up with the play. I monitored where play was going in relation to the injured guy, who by this time had physios/trainers attending, and when it started towards him, I called the ref on our comms gear for him to stop play. 1st grade-time off-injured player sorted-restart as above.
It is an understanding (possibly written into to comp. rules but I don't know - haven't checked) that medical staff may come onto the field at any time to attend to a player in distress, but that they shouldn't interfere with play. If any of the clubs ask me pre-match I tell them that I am not only happy for them to come on in such circumstances, but I expect them to.
The referee is always primarily concerned with the play immediately near the ball and, unless he/she sees a serious incident right in front of him/her, will unlikely stop play. Simply unaware of it due to their focus in the game. To me it was not at all surprising that the ref in Gits' case didn't notice him falling like the proverbial sack of shite because in the brief instant that Gits was in the ref's area of attention, he simply failed to tackle the ball carrier and fell down. This happens many times in a game and is nothing to draw the ref's attention. Then, the ball cleared that area and the ref moved on. As I would have done. (Not to say I'm going to be doing rep games, but you know what I mean...)
I would have thought, no, expected, the Assistant Referees would have brought the incident to the ref's attention but, again, unless the play is coming back that way, it's not surprising that the ref allowed play to continue and stopped time at the next actual stoppage. Also would have expected the medical folk to rush out there even while play was in progress. This being the only game I haven't been to, I dunno whether that happened, but expect it did.
I personally thought that what Lote did was a fantastic gesture -albeit very naive as per the medical opinions that have appeared in this thread. I am senior 1st aid qualified - hell, my dad's even a doctor! - and I know I would have done it differently if I were there, but still top marks to Lote for his actions in the spur of the moment.
It's a tough decision to make. The game was going on and it may have been several minutes before the game was stopped. Gits was out cold. Simple fact is, he may have had his airways obstructed by his tongue, mouthguard, or vomit. If he asphyxiates from lack of oxygen and dies, everybody complains that Lote didn't help him. Then again if he has a non displaced fracture of the cervical vertebrae and moving his neck displaces it compressing his spinal cord, he ends up in a wheel chair. What would John Wayne do?
what would AJ do
no he wouldnt! AJ is awesome!
wise move for a person in ur position
im not even bothering anymore
the one which you got yourself into, which is deep in the poo