Cheap shot on Hooker causes divide between Wales and Springbok fans

Welsh fans and media should see the South African outrage following Sharks and Springbok star Ethan Hooker’s injury for what it is  – a totally justified reaction to reckless, cynical, and unsportsmanlike behaviour from Luke Morgan.

In the Sharks’ Round 15 United Rugby Championship clash against Ospreys in Bridgend, which JP Pietersen’s team lost 17-21, Hooker sustained a shoulder dislocation after crossing over for a try to narrow the hosts’ lead.

The incident occurred at the end of the first half after Hooker latched onto a top offload from Vincent Tshituka. The South Africa international then finished things off with a brilliant try that started in the Sharks’ 22, leaving multiple chasers in his rear view before dotting down. With Hooker having grounded the ball, the Ospreys wing dived onto him.

While the television match official checked for a potential knock-on in the build-up to the score, they did not address Morgan’s act, despite the fact that he simply crashed on top of the try-scorer, using no arms at that, although he did make sure to drive his elbow into Hooker’s back.

On Tuesday morning, various media reports revealed that the Sharks have officially requested that the URC citing commissioner investigate the incident that left Hooker – who has since returned to South Africa ahead of the Sharks’ fixture against Edinburgh – with a dislocated shoulder. They also submitted a report and supporting medical documents to the commissioner after the match.

A player sustaining an injury in a rugby match might be a regular, unfortunate part of the game, but the angle changes when that injury is a result of something so unnecessary.

Hooker now faces uncertainty and quite possibly a lengthy spell on the sidelines with the international season fast approaching.

To make matters worse, Morgan has shown absolutely no remorse; he hasn’t even acknowledged any wrongdoing, instead taking to social media to defend his actions to commenters.

In a now-deleted response to a comment, Morgan wrote: “He [Hooker] clearly hasn’t scored until the ball is grounded, therefore, because the ball wasn’t grounded means the ball is still in play, and I am fully legal to make that tackle, so you might want to think again about that one”.

In response to another comment, which read: “You should be banned for as long as Ethan Hooker is out. Scumbag.”

Morgan replied: “And you should go bore someone else with a silly little comment like that”.

Given the extent of Hooker’s injury and its repercussions, you’d think that Ospreys and Wales fans would at least be able to see that what he did was in fact, against rugby’s laws. But that hasn’t been the case.

WalesOnline published a story on how South Africans reacted to Hooker’s injury, listing various publications and what they had to say, calling South African social media users’ reaction “even more drastic” than the pundits and journalists’ comments and descriptions of Morgan’s actions.

With the article also mentioning South Africans’ unhappiness with Garyn Phillips’ injury, which resulted in uncontested scrums for the remaining 15 minutes just as the Sharks were gaining ascendancy at the set-piece after Bok duo Ox Nche and Vincent Koch came on, the comment section was rife with comments from Ospreys supporters calling sour grapes.

“It was a really cheap shot from Morgan, and should have been a yellow card at least …Saying that, the Boks are in no position to moan, as they invented the cheap shot.

“Love the fact that Boks are moaning about cheating…They have led the field in that regard for decades.”

“Also, Garyn injured himself when he scored the try; he was limping as he walked back for the restart. Again, Saffas are complaining as they could not put the game away after playing 14 men for over 17 minutes.”

Four points separated the Sharks and Ospreys, who are now both on 11 points, going into the game, and that should have been the talking point after that game – how one team overcame the other in a gripping contest with valuable log points on the line.