Latest news with #JadenHendrikse
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Crampgate' tells us rugby's code of dignity counts for little when lucrative online views are at stake
There was indignation, outrage, pique and scorn emanating from Durban's Shark Tank last week . Huff went viral. Umbrage took off. Rage and resentment flooded the zone when the effrontery of Jaden Hendrikse was broadcast from Kings Park. The knowing smile and the wee wink from the Sharks' place kicker as he lay on the ground having his hamstring stretched and happily obstructing the disbelieving Jack Crowley's attempt at goal. Fans in Limerick were livid . Cork was on the cusp of rebellion again. We thought it might prompt some kind of a scathing rebuke from the United Rugby Championship in a Zoom call on Wednesday with chief executive Martin Anayi. But, no. READ MORE This week, platforms and eyeballs, YouTube figures and broadcast peaks – and the URC brand raking in 150 million viewers since it started in 2021 – were the main talking points. Anayi then freely skated over Hendrikse's antics and Crowley gamely effing the Sharks officials and players as an emotional tsunami washed over Irish rugby. Instead, he pivoted to the benefits to the URC of the whining Irish, the underhand South Africans and some of the merits of Crampgate. The URC attitude seemed more shaped by the payload of page impressions and scroll depth it delivered than by the shamelessness of the act itself . 'Ultimately, we want characters in the sport and when you have characters and when you encourage people to show their character, that can be positive and negative,' said Anayi. 'There are heroes and villains in all stories, great sporting stories. I think that's kind of what is emerging here, isn't it? Needless to say, it certainly spiked an interest in the league.' Well, that's it, isn't it? Spiking interest in the championship, gaining greater purchase in the market. Still, the URC are only picking up on what the World Rugby website told them when they clicked on the About Us icon. It wasn't Maradona's Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup 'World Rugby recognises that rugby union is competing for the public's attention in an ever more varied and complex media and entertainment-driven world, but also that the federation properly embrace matters touching on social responsibility,' it begins. What langers we were for living in the old world of respect and integrity and not stepping into the new rugby vista of broadcast viewership, YouTube, X and Instagram. The match and its acrimonious end was the most viewed highlights over two days that the URC has ever had. In terms of turning a negative into a positive, this was a stunning performance by the URC chief, with the unsaid part being that we can park the rugby values piece and talk about that another day. And of course, he had a point. United Rugby Championship CEO Martin Anayi was not overly concerned about the fallout from the Sharks-Munster match. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho Reducing the number of Welsh clubs in the league to two or three, the emergence of the Club World Cup and Italian rugby's place in the European game were 10-fold more important talking points for the URC to consider. It wasn't like it was Bloodgate, where Tom Williams used a blood capsule to feign injury and be replaced by a better kicker against Leinster. It wasn't Maradona's Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, nor was it USA figure skater Tonya Harding's plot to attack and injure her arch-rival Nancy Kerrigan. It certainly wasn't Lance Armstrong's entire career or Dr Eufemiano Fuentes's 211 blood bags with 35 athletes' names attached. The Hendrikse cramp and wink malarkey wasn't a full-frontal assault on rugby's regulations and it didn't fundamentally threaten the innate integrity of the game. But the idea that rugby is a righteous and honest sport was damaged in a way that enhanced viewership figures can't paper over. It also excited a lot of people in the wrong kind of way because the act was fraudulent and deceitful. It is not difficult to understand why the URC preferred to concentrate on the perks attached to the controversial incident than deride the gamesmanship involved, as the latter benefits the former with more attention and engagement. It is also not hard to understand why the business of rugby leans heavily into figures. Understandably, it swooned at 2022, the year the URC league set a record high of 34.6 million for its broadcast audience. It went weak at the knees in 2023, when the figure rose to 37.2 million. It was better again in the 2023-24 campaign, with 47.7 million. In the light of players' wages and vanishing clubs like Wasps, London Irish and Worcester, it is the numbers that move the dial more than anything. But blurring the lines about what is legal and illegal and what belongs in the game and what doesn't is important. It is particularly important in a sport like rugby because it is played along the thin boundaries of thuggery and fair play. In that scenario, any kind of erosion of behaviour is problematic. The URC choosing to see Crampgate as 'intrigue' is the modern take. They view gamesmanship as 'the rivalry between Ireland and South Africa, which is really bubbling along'. While the URC might choose to embrace the inflated numbers that rage and distain deliver, there are those who believe rugby must be as much about the unwritten rules and codes that the Sharks shattered as the established laws of the game.
Irish Times
a day ago
- General
- Irish Times
Sharks to escape URC sanctions for incidents during shoot-out against Munster
It is unlikely sanctions will be taken against Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse or the club's staff following the scenes at the end of Munster's defeat in Durban last weekend in the United Rugby Championship quarter-final. The match, which finished in a draw after extra-time, went to a penalty shoot-out and before outhalf Jack Crowley could take his second kick at goal, Hendrikse went down with apparent cramp preventing Crowley from going through his routine and taking the shot. Hendrikse then winked at Crowley as he lay on the ground receiving treatment. Crowley subsequently became embroiled in an angry dispute with members of the Sharks backroom team on the pitch before the South African side won the kicking contest 6-4 and moved into the URC semi-final. READ MORE 'It hasn't [been brought up], to my knowledge, so no I haven't seen that. In terms of what happened, it hasn't been flagged on a disciplinary level,' said URC chief executive Martin Anayi during an end-of-season round table interview on Wednesday. Far from taking a jaundiced view of the incident, Anayi pointed to what he saw as the positive aspects as the matter, which drew wide interest on social media. 'From it being something that has spiked viewership, quite honestly, it has. That game is the most viewed highlights on YouTube we've ever had, two days ago. 'It shows the level of intrigue and interest in the game, spiked by, I guess, gamesmanship. There's a thin line between that being a positive and a negative. It's a difficult one. I've listened to a lot of podcasts over the last couple of days talking about it.' It was probably not the answer a lot of Munster fans would have liked to have hear. 'Ultimately, we want characters in the sport and when you have characters and when you encourage people to show their character, that can be positive and negative. There are heroes and villains in all stories, great sporting stories. I think that is kind of what is emerging here, isn't it,' said Anayi. 'Whether that turns to disciplinary, I just haven't seen anything like that. But, needless to say, it certainly spiked an interest in the league. And in that fixture, and in the rivalry between Ireland and South Africa, which is really bubbling along, I guess it's another chapter in that story.' The Sharks' Jaden Hendrikse during the shootout against Munster. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Steve Haag Sports/Inpho On the presence of members of the Sharks backroom team on the pitch during the shoot-out, Anayi said there are stringent rules around which people are allowed on the field of play. 'There is pretty tight regulation about staff, so I think if there was somebody on the pitch who shouldn't have been that will get flagged,' he said. Anayi also doubled down on penalty shoot-outs as a reasonable format in deciding knockout fixtures that remain equal after extra-time. 'We had the example of that with Munster/Toulouse (in the Champions Cup) a while back. We also had it a long time ago with Cardiff in the European Cup. I think we've put a bit more structure on it since then. At least I knew what was going to happen, which I didn't necessarily know when it happened in Cardiff that time,' said Anayi of the first penalty shoot-out in 2009 between Cardiff and Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup semi-final. 'I think we had a bit more of a sensible structure, where you have three designated kickers taking two kicks each. There really is very little other way to get the winner in the time frame, which is obviously what we need for the following week. We felt like that was the best possible outcome once you'd gone through the other metrics. It showed drama, intrigue and got a lot of people talking. Which is not a bad thing.' In a wide-ranging conversation that covered growing URC audiences, Welsh and South African rugby's role in the competition, the proposed Club World Cup and 20-minute red cards, Anayi also addressed the possibility of Croke Park being the venue if Leinster beat Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday and get to the final of this year's championship. Leinster have home advantage as they finished top seeds after the competition's league phase. 'We've got a really good relationship with the GAA and the leadership there,' said Anayi. 'Obviously, working very closely with Leinster. There's a lot of tickets to sell in a very short period of time, that one week. 'We're being realistic about what can happen in one week, but it's exciting. We'd love to have that as a spectacle, which is one of the brilliant things that is happening in Ireland, that we're seeing rugby being played in GAA stadiums very successfully.'
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Munster's Sharks shootout agony proves to be URC's biggest ever highlights hit
There really is no such thing as bad publicity given the news that highlights of Munster's controversial BKT URC quarter-final defeat to the Sharks last Saturday have generated the most views for such a package in the competition's three-year history. Almost 350,000 people have already taken in the seven-and-a-half minutes of footage on YouTube, which includes the 100 minutes of rugby in Durban and the resultant shootout that has made such a star/villain of the Sharks' Jaden Hendrikse. Munster were infuriated by what they deemed to be gamesmanship on the part of the Sharks and, in particular, Hendrikse, whose wink while lying on the floor and receiving medical attention wasn't long in going viral. There have been no disciplinary issues flagged as a result of the shootout antics but URC CEO Martin Anayi did concede that it may be an idea to examine rules regarding the numbers of personnel allowed access to the field of play. 'If there was someone on the pitch who should not have been on the pitch then that will get flagged. From it being something that has spiked viewership, yeah, obviously it has. That game is the most viewed highlights on YouTube that we have ever had, in two days. 'So it shows the level of intrigue and interest spiked by the gamesmanship and there is a bit in that between positive and negative, isn't there? It's a difficult one. I have listened to a lot of podcasts talking about it the last few days. 'But ultimately we want characters in sport and when you have characters you encourage people to show their character and that can be positive and negative. There are heroes and villains in all great sporting stories. 'That's kind of what is emerging here, isn't it? It has certainly spiked interest in the league and in that fixture and in a rivalry between Ireland and South Africa that is really bubbling along. I guess it is another chapter in that story.' Anayi was also asked about the proposed R360 league which aims to attract hundreds of the world's top players, male and female, to a new franchise competition played mostly through the northern hemisphere's summer season and in some of the world's major cities. 'I probably know as much as you guys know. What we do is just focus on ourselves. We've got big games, we had 80,000 at Croke Park for the Munster-Leinster game. We encourage big games like that, we are in big cities, we are at community level as well. 'We are about being part of an ecosystem. We care deeply about the grassroots at one end and international rugby at the other, and play a really important part in that pyramid. We just focus on making the URC as great as possible. 'That's all that we can control.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
View from South Africa: Rugby is there to entertain, which is exactly what Jaden Hendrikse did against Munster
Tensions between South Africa and the Irish on the rugby front have been gradually rising over the past couple of years. Ireland saw off the Springboks during the pool stages of Rugby World Cup 2023 but the latter walked off with the ultimate spoils. Then there was the tense drawn series last year and the continuous seesawing between the Test sides at the top of the World Rugby rankings. Last Saturday in Durban, that rivalry intensified a few notches after the Sharks, with a host of World Cup-winning Boks in their vanguard, squeezed Munster out of the United Rugby Championship race courtesy of a dramatic penalty shootout in the quarter-finals. The home side won through on a tally of 6-4 , with the scores level-pegged 24-24, even after 20 minutes of extra-time. A couple of incidents during the decisive battle of the boots, however, sparked a media frenzy across the hemispheres like seldom before. Ironically it wasn't big Eben Etzebeth, known for occasionally grabbing an opponent by the chest or blowing a kiss, who caused the perfect storm. Instead, it was one of the smallest men in the Sharks camp, scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse, who, in the blink of an eye, or wink of an eye, invoked the ire of Munster and much of Ireland . READ MORE Having converted his second attempt at goal, Hendrikse dropped to the deck with what appeared to be cramp. Medical personnel arrived to treat him adjacent to where Munster outhalf Jack Crowley was supposed to have his second crack at goal in the shootout. TV footage later showed Hendrikse, while he was lying on the ground, appearing to wink at Crowley. The Sharks player was also accused of faking cramp to unsettle Crowley. Crowley succeeded with his kick before a heated exchange between him and a member of the Sharks management staff, André Barnard. It culminated in Crowley, shown on TV, appearing to tell Barnard where to go. According to a member of the Sharks medical crew, Hendrikse, who had played the full 100 minutes, suffered severe cramping in both his calves, which prevented him from putting one foot in front of the other. Hence the reason for him dropping down on the spot. Sharks' Jaden Hendrikse and Jack Crowley of Munster have words in Durban last Saturday. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho/Steve Haag Sports He was still being treated for the cramps on Tuesday and unable to participate in practice sessions ahead of Saturday's URC semi-final against the Bulls. Incidentally, Munster skipper Tadhg Beirne also experienced cramping during extra-time of the game. According to experts, such cramping does not unlock easily and can continue for up to five minutes. The only solution is to try and stretch it out, which is why Barnard and the team physio asked permission from the assistant referee to attend to Hendrikse on the field. Crowley was understandably frustrated, insisting that Hendrikse be carried off, which led to the exchange of words with Barnard. Although relatively small, Hendrikse still weighs almost 90kg, so it would have been difficult for only two medics to carry him off, while it would have been even more disruptive to summon a cart. People say stuff to me in the game, but I don't moan about it — Siya Kolisi With so much at stake and everything on a knife edge, the situation spiralled out of context. Hendrikse's cheeky wink then escalated matters. People who know the 25-year-old Springbok halfback, however, will tell you that he is a bit of a jester and that nothing sinister should be read into his behaviour. Although a fierce competitor, who grew up playing football with his brother, Jordan, and other kids on the streets of King William's Town in the Eastern Cape, Hendrikse explained in a recent interview that playing rugby at the highest level is all about having the right mindset. 'And, to enjoy yourself out there,' he said. His late father told Jaden and Jordan to enjoy what they do and to always play with a smile on their faces. Playing with a smile on his dial is something that Hendrikse certainly does. Sometimes it can be misinterpreted as arrogance. Staunch traditionalists might battle to come to terms with it, but since turning professional 30 years ago rugby has increasingly become part of the entertainment business. Players subsequently have a responsibility to occasionally push the envelope. Siya Kolisi (left) of Sharks with Munster's Jean Kleyn and Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth after last Saturday's URC quarter-final in Durban. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho/Steve Haag Sports Amusement, fun and even diversion have become part and parcel of the game, preventing it from becoming a bore, a drag. The game needs entertainers, like Jaden Hendrikse, even if they occasionally ruffle some feathers. Boks skipper and Sharks number eight Siya Kolisi alluded to this in a press conference on Tuesday. 'We stand with Jaden,' Kolisi said. 'There was niggle everywhere in the game and it's normal. These things happen, but now it's being made into a big thing. 'People can say what they like. There was banter between two players and that is all it was. That is who Jaden is. I get it. People say stuff to me in the game, but I don't moan about it; you just carry on. 'Some of the other players on the field on Saturday have also done stuff like that to opponents. We've seen it happen in the World Cup. 'It is rugby, it is entertainment. That is what people want and they will go to the next game because things like this happen. People are talking about Saturday's game; that's what you want. 'We all have our own ways of dealing with stuff on the field. We are not robots. We express ourselves. 'Sometimes you've got to give it and other times you've got to take it. It just happens like that . . . I mean, let's get over it.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Gordon D'Arcy: Leinster don't need to act like South Africa, but they can learn from their winning mentality
Muhammad Ali once said: 'I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.' It's the kind of quote we don't usually associate with Northern Hemisphere rugby players or teams. However, in my experience in playing against the Southern Hemisphere nations, it is practically doctrine. Assuming a mantle of confidence is a prerequisite for players to walk out on the paddock. The Sharks won against a valiant Munster in last weekend's United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final , but the match will be remembered not just for the scoreboard. Jaden Hendrikse caused quite the sideshow by distracting Jack Crowley in the shootout with a convenient cramp just beside where the Munster outhalf was about to kick at goal. Whatever about having cramp or no cramp, the effort or lack of it to get out of an opponent's way, the home crowd booing a dead-ball kick and coaches roaming the pitch all aligned to the same purpose. It was textbook 'shithousery' and there was nothing accidental about it. It is celebrated and almost expected. The head coach made that clear post-match, that the ends justified the means. READ MORE That unapologetic, win-at-all-costs mentality is woven into the DNA of South African rugby along with the assumed confidence. And to be fair, it is effective. They believe they will win before the warm-up, before the anthem and before a pass is thrown. Everything they do, legal or questionable, is in service of that belief. Leinster , under South African defence coach Jacques Nienaber, will have tried to adopt some of that Springbok edge and mindset over the last two seasons, especially in defence. Suffocating the opposition and relentless in the scramble they may be, but the question is whether Leinster have the same raw ingredients, physically or mentally, to deliver the same results. Leinster are not South Africa and they don't need to be. What traditionally made them a special team was their controlled expression and ruthless execution. A culture of excellence that didn't require verbal dominance or dark arts, it was a quieter confidence. They didn't need to tell you they were good; they showed you. There is a legitimate question now about the focus on defence. It built a South African empire with back-to-back World Cup wins, but perhaps it comes at the expense of what made Leinster formidable in the first place. I think there is now a rough template on how to frustrate the way Leinster play The delicate balance between attack and defence feels out of whack. Adopting the mindset is fine, but mindset - like culture - has to fit the group to which it is applied. Right now, Leinster may be caught between two rugby identities - the old-school humility and the newly imported aggression. In that scenario, they could miss out on the best of both. They don't need to become snarling. They need to become certain . There's a difference. Certainty is what you saw in Jack Crowley. Booed, baited, distracted and he still slotted a kick in the shootout with composure that would make a poker player blush. Crowley countered noise with presence. Jack Crowley of Munster converts his kick during the shootout against Sharks. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho/Steve Haag Sports Irish teams rarely have a squad-wide swagger like South African or Kiwi sides. They usually have one or two players who carry that energy, but it's not culturally widespread. That's okay. That's us. And when it works, it works beautifully. But conviction can't be conditional. It can't depend on being ahead or getting the bounce of the ball. It must be worn. Earned. Chosen. The next week and perhaps the week after will be a measure of that conviction. Again, Leinster are the last Irish team standing. They have the squad, the game plan and the coaching ticket. But they won their quarter-final unconvincingly, relying on the final quarter to pull away from an edgy Scarlets and with moments in the game that mirrored the way Northampton also made them struggle. It was Scarlets' ability to frustrate Leinster's attack at key junctures that kept them in the game until Leinster unloaded their bench. Eventually, the defence figures out any team. I think there is now a rough template on how to frustrate the way Leinster play and defend. There is also an understanding of how important Sam Prendergast is in his running of their attacking system. Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber with Sam Prendergast during squad training. Photograph: Tom Honan/Inpho Leinster feel burdened by the weight of success. Once they lost to Northampton, the holy grail became the URC. But even for the top teams in this competition, the reality is that nothing is certain. Scarlets played exactly how you would expect in knockout rugby and the same will be expected of Glasgow on Saturday. In such scenarios, where fear of failure is just around the corner, margins narrow and pressure builds. As I wrote last week, I think the challenge in Leinster is still within their control, but perhaps they need to rediscover some of their old identity, a bit of joie de vivre from playing rugby in both defence and attack. What we have seen over the last while is that over-reliance on defending to win hasn't worked. Once upon a time, the mantra wasn't about a growl or line speed in defence; it was about standards. Fullback Rob Kearney fielding everything under the sun, attacking when the opportunity offered itself, not when the system suggested it would. There was an expectation rather than a demand to clear rucks and standards on both sides of the ball. Leinster have been nearly-men for too long. But nearly isn't the metric. Trophies are. And no one gives them away – especially not to teams still trying to remember who they are.
