When Ethan Hooker scored a breakout try off the last move of the first half of the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ Vodacom URC game against the Ospreys in Bridgend he brought his team back into a game they looked well out of at that point.
Instead of going to the break nine points down, and it could have been 16 as the hosts were pressing for a try when Hooker picked the ball up, they went in with a deficit of just two points.
Unfortunately, the act of Hooker pressing the ball down was not the end of it. The Ospreys’ Luke Morgan came flying through and dived on Hooker after he scored, with the Westville old boy immediately showing visible signs of discomfort.
He was helped from the field as the players headed to halftime, and he didn’t reappear after it.
It was one of a few unlucky breaks in the game for the Sharks, with the other being the calling of uncontested scrums later in the piece, and it looks like they will now be without Hooker for the rest of the season as it is suspected the late dive on him has caused a serious shoulder injury that could see the Springbok wing/centre miss the start of the international season.
Morgan played on in the second half and didn’t appear to be sanctioned for what should have been a clear case of reckless play.
“Ethan’s injury was a massive blow for us,” said Sharks coach JP Pietersen afterwards.
“After the scoring of a try, the rules say you are not supposed to dive on a player and rules are there to protect players. Sadly in this case that did not happen.
“Ethan has dislocated his shoulder. He is a massive presence for us and to lose him after the first half was very disappointing and frustrating,” added the former Bok wing.
Depending on the severity of the dislocation, Hooker could be out of action for between three to four months. The Boks open their 2026 season with a non-international against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on 20 June, in other words exactly two months from today, before playing their first ever Nations Cup game against England in Johannesburg a week later.
The Hooker injury adds to a nightmare list of injuries that have impacted on the Sharks’ season. Last week it was confirmed Eben Etzebeth will be out for the rest of the season, and also probably fellow Boks Grant Williams, Bongi Mbonambi and Jordan Hendrikse. Fullback Aphelele Fassi continues to be sidelined too, although in his case the absence has provided a silver lining for the Sharks in showcasing two youngsters in the position.
Luan Giliomee, a 19-year-old, took his opportunity against Munster and looks a great one for the future, and in Bridgend it was the turn of 18-year-old Zekhethelo Siyaya, also like Hooker a product of Westville Boys High, to strut his stuff and he didn’t disappoint as he turned in a busy and mature performance that he should have been proud of even though he was on the losing side.
He should get another opportunity for the Sharks when the play Edinburgh on Friday night, with that game no longer having the importance it would have had the Sharks kept alive their faint hopes of qualifying for the URC top eight, which means Investec Challenge Cup qualification even more importantly than it does a place in the playoffs, by beating the Ospreys.
Play-Off pressure rising… ♨️😬@Vodacom #URC | #RaceToTheEight pic.twitter.com/5wpXsyqZuN
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 18, 2026