Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber has weighed in on Jaden Hendrikse’s antics during the United Rugby Championship quarter-final between the Sharks and Munster.
While it was Bradley Davids who slotted the match-winning penalty kick in the kicking competition after extra-time to seal the Sharks‘ spot in the semi-finals, with a 6-4 win, Hendrikse’s name has stolen the headlines after the now-infamous wink at Munster fly-half Jack Crowley.
The Springboks scrum-half, who was part of Nienaber’s World Cup-winning squad in 2023, hit the deck seemingly with cramps after taking the second of his two successful kicks, which delayed Crowley from taking his attempt.
The Munster number 10 was seething as referee Mike Adamson refused to let him take his kick despite Hendrikse receiving treatment away from where the kick should have been taken. But it was Hendrikse’s wink at Crowley while receiving treatment that has sparked the outrage, as many believe that it was a sign that he was not suffering from cramp and it was instead a ploy to put the Irish international off.
If true, it didn’t work as Crowley duly bisected the uprights, while the behaviour of the Sharks’ support staff also did not sit well with the Munster fans and others watching on.
That happens for 80 minutes
The Telegraph dubbed Hendrikse’s actions as “shameless gamesmanship” while many onlookers believe that he “disgraced” the game and his club.
But for Nienaber, there wasn’t anything in it and plainly put it down to general rugby play at the highest level with players always looking to get under the skin of the opposition and referenced Peter O’Mahony’s sledge to Sam Cane in July 2022.
“It’s something that happens in the game from minute one to minute 80,” he said ahead of Leinster’s URC semi-final meeting with Glasgow Warriors.
“There’s banter and trying to get under a guy’s skin and trying to physically impose yourself on him and try and rub his hair.
“I mean, that happens for 80 minutes, so in this case it was for everyone to see because it’s not as secluded as what will be in a game. But it happens in a game.”
Springboks star’s ‘shameless gamesmanship’ in the spotlight after Sharks’ URC triumph over Munster
Asked if he found that Irish players were just as good at dishing it out, he added: “You are masters at it, the Irish, ‘craic’, isn’t that the word you use? The Irish have never fell on their mouths, ever.
“You ask if Irish players do it [as much]? Wasn’t there a thing about Pete [O’Mahony] and Sam Cane?
“So there’s your answer.
“That banter flies. If you listen to just the referee mic and you take the commentators away, it’s crazy what you hear on that mic. They got stuck into each other. It’s just normal.”
Possibility of another kicking competition
The Sharks made a sharp decision before the end of extra-time to replace winger Makazole Mapimpi with replacement scrum-half Bradley Davids in order to get an additional kicker on the pitch. While many were unaware of the 22-year-old’s placekicking ability, Nienaber was not, as his son roomed with Davids at Paarl Gimnasium.
“He was the kicker for the school,” said Nienaber before discussing the possibility of Leinster having to face a kicking competition.
He continued: “It’s definitely something you talk through, everybody understands their role, who’s going to kick,”
“Jeez, I don’t actually know [if I like it]. That’s the format that’s given to you. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing.
“I think fans love it and I think from a spectator’s view it’s brilliant. I enjoyed it. I loved it. But I don’t want to be the team that does it.
“The first one I saw was Munster against Toulouse three years ago in Europe, quarter-final I think. That was the first time I actually saw it and both times that I’ve witnessed it I thought it grabs your attention but I would probably say something different if I’m in that team.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/jacques-nienaber-weighs-in-on-wink-gate-against-sledge-masters-after-jaden-hendrikses-gamesmanship-antics
