If Ethan Hooker wanted to avoid playing wing and focus primarily on his regular position of centre, he needed to be less adept at life in the No 11 jersey than he has been since Hollywoodbets Sharks coach John Plumtree drove the switch in position a few weeks ago.
Plumtree, speaking ahead of the Carling Currie Cup semifinal against the Vodacom Bulls, said at the time that moving 21-year-old Hooker from the No 13 jersey to wing should not be seen as a permanent move. It was a one-off selection and Hooker would be back in his regular position shortly.
That return to the midfield hasn’t happened and for one good reason - Hooker has revelled on the wing, with his performance in the domestic semifinal justifying a continuation with the experiment. In the final in Johannesburg, Hooker scored a crucial try from the wing position, and he was at it again this past weekend when the Sharks snuck home against the Dragons in Newport.
An absolute POWER HOUSE💪@vodacom #URC #DRAvSHA pic.twitter.com/X7T18Oa0Z7
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) October 7, 2024
With Jurenzo Julius, who played a big role in turning the Dragons game the Sharks’ way, in such good form in the midfield alongside the irrepressible Andre Esterhuizen, it makes sense for Hooker to continue on the wing seeing he is so good there. Let’s not forget either that one of the world’s finest outside centres, Lukhanyo Am, also plays for the Sharks when he is not on Springbok duty.
For the Westville Boys High old boy, it appears that life on the wing is just dandy, and he sees it as an opportunity not just to gain a different perspective that will help him as a rugby player, but also to grow potential utility value that could help him get selected to the Boks.
“Between wing and outside there’s not too many differences, but the biggest thing I’ve found is the back-field work,” said Hooker in a teleconference hook-up from Treviso, where the Sharks are preparing to play an important final Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour match.
“Playing on the wing is going to help when I go back to centre, so I’m enjoying that quite a lot. I wouldn’t say I have a preference, and wherever the coach needs me to play, I’ll play there with a smile on my face.In this day and age it’s a benefit to be able to play multiple positions, especially if you want to achieve higher honours. When I was told I was playing wing I was very happy about it as it just opens more doors. I’ll use it to develop my game, so I see it as more of a benefit than anything else.”
It also means he gets a chance to play alongside and learn from the likes of Esterhuizen and Am when he returns. The Sharks are certainly spoilt for riches when it comes to talent, their challenge has always been to get that talent to gel into a team with a good culture. That is finally happening, according to Hooker.
“We’re definitely a team that’s going to fight to the end, and it shows on the field when you win those tight games. It comes down to fighting for a team goal, fighting for each other,” said Hooker in reference to the Sharks getting themselves out of jail on a couple of occasions before winning at the death against the Dragons.
“We have a very good side, we just need to understand how good we can be. We’re slowly getting that game by game. And then there’s those big names who come and help you by your side. The more we connect with each other the better as a team we can be.”