And Rabi Shimon agrees that if it was punctured sufficiently to make it Toh’hoir - ומודה רבי שמעון שאם ניקב בכדי טהרתו
Summary:
The rule that we consider it מחובר if it was ניקב בכדי טהרתו is only regarding vessels that are designated for food, but not for vessels which are designated for drink.
Perhaps you only heard this when it is surrounded by a sealed cover - שמא לא שמעת אלא במוקף צמיד פתיל
Summary:
The common term כלי חרס rejects the concept of מיוחד לרימונים. Rovo could not have assumed that רב אסי is referring to הכשר זרעים since he mentions כלי חרס (and not כלי עץ), and רבא maintains הכשר זרעים is כשורש קטן