Agreed. But if you and the coach disagree about what is safe (many would consider that members of a deflated team suffering a thrashing are not as safe on the field as a team that is competing well), then the referee can decline to continue without in any way deviating from the regulation, and without having to choose which regs to adopt and which to avoid.
Safety override was acknowledged Dixie, but I'd say its a big call for any referee unilaterally assessing 'spirit' deflation when he doesn't know the players anywhere near as well as the coaching team or the watching parents.
Competition 'capping' is a separate issue that im not challenging.
But whilst the point has been raised, the team I coach did amass 50 pts with only 25 mins played on one occasion, not our fault competition league/draw forced it, and most of the scores were through speed handling and evasion so opposition weren't battered. We were glad to be able to reduce our numbers and play the remainder of the game by swapping forwards and backs positions, I recall the remainder of the fixture was very competitive , well well worth it, our forwards loved it our backs realised that possession is hard to gain and keep! Opposition players confidence grew, so win win win.
The alternative of ...packing up & leaving to drive 1hr before the nosh was cooked ( empty clubhouse & opposition were goingvto stay out and train ) with most families deeming the whole morning a waste of everyone's effort wasnt desirable to either Coaching team. It would have been a shame if we'd been appointed an overbearing whistler who didn't understand that coaching objectives aren't always soley score dependent.
Crikey, we travelled 1hr 20 mins once and a player forgot his gumshield , the referee mistakenly thought he was 'Required' to send him home without playing ...despite the parent wishing otherwise, such instances are one of the main reason I carry regulations with me, to avoid genuine 'error'
