Springbok and Sharks star Ethan Hooker is set to undergo surgery on his dislocated shoulder following a controversial injury sustained during a United Rugby Championship (URC) match against the Ospreys.
The dislocation occurred after Hooker scored a try and was dived upon by Ospreys winger Luke Morgan, an act described by Sharks coach JP Pietersen as a "dogshot".
The surgery and subsequent rehabilitation are expected to have a significant impact on his availability for both his club and the national team:
Early reports suggest a rehabilitation period of approximately three months, which likely rules him out for the remainder of the Sharks' season.
Speaking ahead of the Sharks’ Vodacom URC encounter against Edinburgh, head coach JP Pietersen said it was unclear how long Hooker would be sidelined for.
“He’s seen the surgeon, but I can’t give an exact timeline. He’ll probably go for surgery this week, and then we’ll know more once they’ve opened up the shoulder.”
The Sharks have reportedly made an official request to the URC to investigate the incident, as Morgan escaped immediate on-field sanction for the tackle, but it was decided that the action of Luke Morgan did not warrant any further sanctions.
“We had a conversation with the head of referees. It is what it is. It’s out of my control. It’s for the referees to decide.”
“We had a review meeting with the URC. It’s always a confidential discussion, but we got clarity on what happened.
“They investigated it and gave us feedback. We asked our questions, we got answers, and now we move on.”