I never liked the look of it, but I can see it serves a purpose. Certainly on the military landys, we often attach one end of the tow strop to the jate ring, and then wrap the rest of it around the spare on the bonnet, so that we don't take forever when recovering a vehicle. It gets a bit repetitive after a while doesn't it lol. I can see having a net to do similar would be pretty handy.
Something I have thought about is chequer-plating the bonnet on a disco. Being able to stand on the wings on a defender is a godsend sometimes, when you're tieing something on, or want a nice look over a hedge or something. I imagine chequer-plating a disco's bonnet, would mean you could rest your stove, and tools on there without worrying too much about scratching, but also make it a damn sight easier to load a roofrack at the front. Especially since the disco's standard roof bars are at the front, and people of less than 6 foot would really struggle to stick a nice heavy bag or toolbox up there when stood next to the vehicle.