This SuperSport feature gives Ethan Hooker room to speak candidly on several fronts. The most revealing thread is his take on fatigue — not as something to manage or avoid, but as an equaliser he actively relishes. That the answer emerged from a throwaway 'superpower' question makes it more telling: Hooker describes the closing minutes of the Argentina test as a moment he hated in the instant but now draws genuine energy from. It's an insight into the mentality that's helped him seize his chances in the Bok setup ahead of a World Cup cycle.
The piece also covers his recovery from a shoulder operation sustained after a dirty tackle in the URC — he came back at 11 weeks against medical advice of 14–16 — and how the Sharks' medical setup was central to that. There's a frank section on his first experience of a Bok loss (the All Blacks defeat ending a 13-test winning run), and how the visible hurt within the camp recalibrated his understanding of what the jersey demands. Most personally, Hooker speaks about losing his father Craig during the season — crediting him as his primary mentor — and how remaining in the Bok environment helped him cope. JP Pietersen also gets a mention as a key figure in his development. Worth the full read for the portrait it builds of a young player navigating grief, injury and expectation simultaneously.