Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse’s was at the centre of "wink-gate" the last time the Sharks faced Munster.
Image: Backpagepix
Sharks coach JP Pietersen this week played down the perilous situation the Sharks find themselves in on the United Rugby Championship log as the playoffs in May beckon, but the reality is that a loss on Saturday to Munster in Durban could spell the end of their tournament aspirations.
The Sharks sit in 11th spot with six rounds to go. Their four wins and a draw have earned them 24 points from the maximum of 60 that were on offer from their 12 games played. That is almost half the tally of the log-leading Glasgow Warriors (45).
To give context to the Sharks’ precarious position, at this exact point of the 2025 season, they were in fourth position on 39 points.
They would go on to contest the quarter-finals against none other than Munster. It was an unforgettable payoff not only because of the unprecedented penalty shoot-out (after the teams were level at 24-24 at full and extra time), but also because of the near-nuclear fallout from Jaden Hendrikse’s alleged gamesmanship.
Hendrikse, one of the appointed kickers for the shootout, collapsed with cramp just before Jack Crowley was to kick for Munster. While being treated, Hendrikse was caught on camera winking at Crowley, who — to put it mildly — was not amused.
It mattered not because Crowley slotted his kick only for his team to lose because one of the earlier Munster kickers had missed, and the Sharks’ unlikely hero was substitute scrum-half Bradley Davids, whose kick was straight and true. Interestingly, neither Hendrikse nor Crowley is playing on Saturday (5pm kick-off) — the former has a concussion, while the latter has not travelled as he has just finished Six Nations duty and qualified for a break.
While Pietersen and (earlier in the week) Jordan Hendrikse said they expect the Irishmen to have a “personal” point to prove, the Munster coach, Clayton McMillan, said the opposite.
“Yes, there were shenanigans at the end of that match, but it was 12 months ago, the teams are different (McMillan was not the coach then), and our focus needs to go where it needs to be,” McMillan said. “We need to be concerned with putting in a performance that gets the job done.”
The same would go for a Sharks team, not only under pressure on the points table but in terms of their performances — they are coming off back-to-back defeats on the Highveld. They were curiously flat against the Lions and Bulls after their encouraging victories over the Stormers in Durban and Cape Town.
The reality for the Sharks is that they are six points behind the eighth-placed team (the Bulls), and with both the Bulls and the seventh-placed Lions playing most of their last six games at home, the Sharks are going to struggle to break into the top eight.
And if they do beat sixth-placed Munster, they will, in fact, help their countrymen in that the Lions and Bulls can close in on the Limerick team, provided they win their games this weekend. The Sharks’ cause has not been helped by a slew of injuries to their backline players.
Pietersen has confirmed that Aphelele Fassi is out for three months following shoulder surgery. Also on the injury list are Edwill van der Merwe, Jaden Hendrikse, Jurenzo Julius, Francois Venter, Jaco Williams, and Siya Masuku.
On the positive side, Ethan Hooker is back from Springbok resting to partner André Esterhuizen in a formidable midfield.
The injuries have forced Pietersen to blood a newcomer at full-back in 19-year-old Luan Giliomee. Sometimes, though, good fortune can come disguised as adversity — watch out for Blitzbok Giliomee; he is an exceptional talent.
Teams
Sharks – 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Ethan Hooker, 12 André Esterhuizen (c), 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Bench: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Ox Nché, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Corné Rahl, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Hakeen Kunene.
Munster – 15 Mike Haley, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Shane Daly, 10 JJ Hanrahan (c), 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 John Hodnett, 6 Seán Edogbo, 5 Tom Ahern, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Michael Milne.
Bench: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 John Ryan, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Fineen Wycherley, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Dan Kelly, 23 Brian Gleeson.