In the aftermath of the Sharks’ nail-biting URC quarter-final win over Munster, one of the unexpected fallouts has been the outcry over some so-called gamesmanship from Jaden Hendrikse.
During a decisive goal-kicking ‘shoot out’, Hendrikse collapsed to the ground after cramping, but while lying on the ground, he gave a cheeky wink to opposing kicker Jack Crowley.
In what has turned into quite a bizarre backlash, there have been numerous reactions accusing Hendrikse of bad sportsmanship and even faking his cramp despite imagery clearly showing his calf going into spasm.
Jaden Hendrikse critics told to ‘get over it’
There have been a variety of differing opinions on the incident, and notably, captain Siya Kolisi did not hold back when asked about the incident on Tuesday.
“We stand with Jaden,” he said. “Jaden is competitive and there had been banter throughout the game. It’s normal and these things happen. People can say what they like, but there was banter between two players and that’s all there is [to it]. Jaden knows that we back him all the way. You can see he cramped, there was definitely cramping.
“People must just get over it,” the Springbok skipper added. “It’s rugby, it’s entertainment. That’s what the fans want. Players want to celebrate, do what they do and be themselves, and we’ve all got our own ways of dealing with stuff on the field.
“Come on, we can’t box each other and all be the same. We’re not robots, we’re human beings. Sometimes we will take it and sometimes we will give it.”
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/siya-kolisi-comes-to-defence-of-teammate/
