Sharks lodge formal complaint with URC citing commissioner over Hooker shoulder injury

The Sharks have formally requested a URC citing commissioner investigation into the Luke Morgan incident that dislocated Ethan Hooker's shoulder during the 21-17 loss to Ospreys, submitting a report and medical documents on the night of the match. Hooker, now back in Durban awaiting scan results, is expected to miss the rest of the URC season and is a doubt for the July internationals. The match also drew scrutiny over the Ospreys' use of uncontested scrums following what some have questioned were genuine prop injuries.

The Sharks have submitted a formal request to the URC citing commissioner to investigate the incident that left Ethan Hooker with a dislocated shoulder during last weekend's 21-17 defeat to Ospreys in Wales.

According to IOL Sport, Sharks management submitted a report and supporting medical documents to the commissioner on the night of the match, demanding a full investigation into Luke Morgan's decision to dive onto Hooker's back after the winger had scored a try. Match officials reviewed the passage of play to check for a knock-on but took no action against Morgan.

Coach JP Pietersen was unambiguous about his frustration. "Ethan's injury was a massive blow for us. After scoring a try, the rules say you are not supposed to dive on a player and rules are there to protect players and sadly that did not happen. He dislocated his shoulder. He is a massive presence for us and to lose him after the first half was very disappointing and frustrating."

Hooker has returned to Durban where he is undergoing scans to determine the extent of the damage. The 23-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the Sharks' URC campaign and is now a doubt for the Springboks' July series, subject to the scan results.

Morgan has responded on social media, defending his actions and maintaining they were within the laws of the game.

Hooker was not the only Shark to leave the field under a cloud. Starting centre Le Roux Malan also failed an HIA in the second half after a head-on-head collision that similarly went unpunished by the officials.

The match generated a separate controversy around the Ospreys' decision to request uncontested scrums after both loosehead props went off injured — a move that came at a moment when Ox Nche and Vincent Koch were asserting dominance at the set-piece. Pietersen raised questions about the legitimacy of those injuries post-match, and SuperSport analyst Jonathan Mokuena went further, calling for the Sharks to scrutinise the injury reports of the players involved.

"If they decided to fake an injury, that's against the laws of the game," Mokuena said. "At the time the Sharks were slowly but surely starting to find their mojo. Ox Nche and Vincent Koch were really doing well applying pressure, so it's something the Sharks need to look into."

The IOL report makes no reference to a separate investigation into the uncontested scrum decision.

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