The Sharks’ defeat in Swansea was made even more bitter by the loss of Ethan Hooker. The 21-year-old Springbok was the victim of a cynical late challenge from Luke Morgan just as he crossed the whitewash — an incident that left him with a suspected dislocated shoulder. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
COMMENT
The Sharks’ slim hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship (URC) lay in tatters after another desperately painful defeat, this time to the Ospreys, on Saturday night.
The Durbanites let slip several chances to seize the result from the niggly Welsh side in the 21-17 defeat and will be counting the cost of their indiscretions on Sunday. Arguably the most pressing concern will be the injury to Springbok Ethan Hooker.
In an act that could only be described as thuggery, Luke Morgan dived on Hooker after he had scored an invaluable try late in the first half, seemingly dislocating the 23-year-old’s shoulder. It will only add to the injury crisis that coach JP Pietersen faces in the last three matches of the season, but could also see Hooker potentially out for weeks.
The fact that the incident was not even discussed by the match officials is all the more grating; added to what seemed to be a level of gamesmanship bordering on the farcical, the Ospreys continued to push their luck throughout the match to walk away as winners.
Nonetheless, the Sharks are not blameless in another failed URC season.
Although stacked with a "galácticos" level of talent and ability, they remain dishearteningly mediocre. They dominated nearly every stat on Saturday night in Swansea, yet could not finish off the 10th-placed Ospreys.
They dominated possession (56%), territory (63%), had more offloads (12-6), metres gained (527m-261m), clean breaks (13-6), and defenders beaten (19-12). They lost only one line-out with 12 won, while stealing four; and maintained a 100% scrum success.
The latter was effectively nullified in the last quarter of the match due to uncontested scrums, but it encapsulated a largely frustrating viewing experience for Sharks supporters. But basic errors and ill-discipline had by that time already played its part in their defeat.
What lies ahead now for the Sharks are three dead rubbers against lower-ranked Edinburgh, Benetton and Zebre. The Sharks won’t even be kingmakers, as their matches will have no impact on the top half of the standings.
Moreover, their last three matches are a run-in that other teams — the Lions a case in point (they face Connacht, Leinster and Munster in their last three matches) — could only dream of, but it is all now left squandered as another season comes to naught.
For the Sharks to possess such a wealth of international talent and yet fail to secure a Top 8 spot is an indictment of a campaign that lacked clinical execution when it mattered most. As they drift into three meaningless fixtures to see out the year, the hierarchy in Durban must decide whether this was merely a series of unfortunate events or a deeper systemic failure that requires more than just high-profile signings to fix.