Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has defended Sharks scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse following the dramatic ending to the United Rugby Championship quarterfinal.
The Durban-based outfit has been criticised for their apparent gamesmanship during the penalty shootout win over Munster on Saturday.
Hendrikse particularly came under fire for winking at visiting fly-half Jack Crowley after going down with cramp following his successful attempt in the place-kicking competition.
That was not the only thing that irked the Irish province, with other Sharks players and coaches getting involved in trying to put off their opponents, but it was the scrum-half’s antics which drew the most ire.
Erasmus has since taken to X, formerly Twitter, to post a picture which he believes shows the scrum-half not faking it and that he was indeed suffering with cramp.
The Boks boss also included a shrugging emoji, suggesting that he does not quite understand what all the furore is about.
Hendrikse was one of three Sharks players to take kicks at goal, with the hosts keeping their cool and being successful with all six attempts.
Bradley Davids kicked the winner as the hosts emerged 6-4 triumphant on penalties after the URC quarter-final ended in a 24-24 draw.
But much of the talk following the clash was about the antics of John Plumtree’s men, even if Munster did not address the matter post-match.
Tadhg Beirne’s focus was on the pride he had in the performance of the team as they took on a side stacked with Springboks all the way.
“They’re riddled with internationals, they know what they’re doing,” Beirne told reporters.
“We knew they were going to keep coming at us, we knew they would be a tough battle, and we fought to the bitter end.
“There’s nothing more I could ask of the lads. To go to a penalty shootout, or whatever you call that there, is gutting for us, but that’s the way it goes and that’s the way we lost the game.”
It was an emotional exit for Munster, who saw three greats say goodbye to the province with Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Stephen Archer playing their final games for the team.
“There’s no tomorrow for us this season, and we have to say goodbye to some pretty special characters within this room,” Beirne said.
“It’s going to be a weird place without them. We’ve spoken about it before, they epitomise Munster, they love the club and they put blood, sweat and tears in for the club.”
