AUDIO - Kolisi: 'We stand with Jaden'

AUDIO: Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has aired his views on Cramp-gate after the Sharks’ victory over Munster following a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the United Rugby Championship in Durban on Saturday.

The home side won 6-4 after the game ended in a 24-all draw.

Springbok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse has been slammed for unsportsmanlike behaviour after going down with cramps and while on the ground, winking at Jack Crowley as he was getting ready to take his second shot.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has reacted to the furore that erupted after the game, as did Leinster assistant coach Jacques Nienaber.

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🤷🏼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/zmO8DzMxPC

— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) June 1, 2025

That wink by Hendrikse has seemingly almost broken the internet by now, but Kolisi has brought matters into perspective.

“We stand with Jaden,” the Sharks’ No. 8 told reporters firmly on Tuesday during a media briefing, adding: “Jaden is competitive. There has been banter everywhere in the game. We’ve seen it from players from all over the world.

“It’s normal. These things happen.

“And people can say what they like. It’s banter between two players, and that’s all it is.

“And that’s what Jaden is.

“And ja, from our side, he knows we’re backing him all the way. You can see he was definitely cramping,” Kolisi commented as he tried to explain the incident.

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“I get people saying stuff to me in the game. I don’t moan about it.

“We just carry on, or you react however you want to react. It is what it is.

“We are supporting him, we stand with Jaden.

“You’ve seen the ones that happened during the World Cup. And some guys who were on the field there have also done it to other people.

“Let’s get over it, it’s rugby, it’s entertainment. That’s what people want.

“They are going to go see the next game because they think things like this happen. Guys want to celebrate. Let people be themselves.

“We’ve all got our own ways of dealing with stuff on the field.

“Come on, we can’t box each other in, and we can’t all be the same, we are not robots, we are human beings.

“We express how we want to express, sometimes you are going to take it, and sometimes you are going to give it,” he concluded.

Image credit @SharksRugby

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