‘Winkgate’ is manufactured social media outrage that will add more fuel to the SA-Ireland rugby rivalry

If you believe social media, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Sharks’ dramatic United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal 6-4 penalty shootout win over Munster in Durban on Saturday was because of a wink.

Yes, a wink. In case you don’t follow rugby closely, I’ll elaborate shortly.

The penalty shootout made this otherwise error-strewn match memorable, and the wink will be part of its story. In a way, that’s a good thing because there wasn’t much else to redeem it.

At the half-hour mark, if fans had been told that there would be an additional 20 minutes of this game (via extra time), they would have replied: “Haven’t we suffered enough?”

The contest did improve slightly in the second half as the Sharks came back from 21-10 down to lead 24-21. Then, veteran Munster and Ireland scrumhalf Conor Murray landed a late penalty from 45m to level the scores at 24-24, sending the game to extra time, and ultimately to the lottery of kicks at goal.

Image taken off TV of Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse winking at Munster's Jack Crowley during the dramatic penalty shootout, which the Sharks won 6-4 to advance the URC semi-finals.

Wink, wink

During the rare penalty shootout (the first in URC history), hometown scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse winked at Munster kicker Jack Crowley, and social media went into meltdown.

Okay, a little more context is needed. To be precise, Hendrikse first screamed and writhed in pain from an apparent cramp in his leg, which was the result of the kicking motion to slot his second successful penalty of the shootout.

Sharks’ physios rushed on to the field and treated Hendrikse, who appeared to be in genuine discomfort. All this took place within a few metres of where Munster flyhalf Crowley was preparing to take his second kick of the shootout.

Crowley was understandably annoyed at the commotion as he was trying to focus on an important kick. Referee Mike Adamson told him to wait. In his froth, Crowley let the Sharks’ physios know his thoughts, telling them to “f**k off” from the playing field.

Hendrikse, on his back and observing the little spat, decided to use the moment for a bit of gamesmanship and winked at Crowley.

That image spread across social media as fast and wide as you’d expect in an age of faux outrage. People were soon claiming it to be unsavoury,  “cheating” and “against the spirit of the game” while missing the irony of hurling online insults at people who chose to disagree with them.

It was a wink. Something that happens on rugby fields every week, from Cork to Cradock and anywhere in between.

No one can definitively say Hendrikse didn’t have a cramp. After 100 minutes of intense rugby, cramping muscles are a distinct possibility.

Munster captain Tadhg Beirne was treated for a cramp during extra time. Sceptics might say he was slowing the game down with the Sharks in the ascendency. I prefer to think that he really did have a cramp after delivering a huge performance.

I also like to think that Hendrikse was suffering from a cramp and that his wink was just a moment of shithousery that happens in almost every minute of every game.

How many times have you seen players, usually English, celebrating a scrum penalty by screaming in the faces of their opponents?

Romantics don’t want to hear it, but rugby is essentially a game of cheating, or at the very least, a game of pushing the limits of the law to see what you can get away with.

Sharks hooker Bongi Mbonambi about to be tackled by Munster's Jean Kleyn (No 4) and Stephen Archer during their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal in Durban on Saturday. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

A hand in the ruck here to slow the ball, holding a player down for a few extra seconds there, stealing a metre from the offside line, and dozens of other acts of gamesmanship (cheating) happen in almost every action. Players blow kisses, wink and curse at each other in every match. Like it or not, it happens.

Yet, thousands of people on social media are in a froth about Hendrikse winking at Crowley. Why the selective outrage?

Perhaps they’re upset that he winked while being treated for a cramp, as if the act of winking were somehow proof that he didn’t have a cramp. It is possible to wink and have a leg massaged/stretched to treat a cramp at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive.

To further make a mockery of the outrage, Crowley landed the kick post-wink. If anything, Hendrikse’s gesture only sharpened Crowley’s focus.

To make a further mockery of the subsequent reaction, the crucial missed kick in the shootout by Rory Scannell occurred with no apparent gamesmanship beforehand.

And to further muddy the waters of the “outrage”, the vastly experienced Murray engaged in some pre-shootout gamesmanship with the young Bradley Davids.

Murray, stationed alongside Davids towards the left touchline for their kicks, took the Sharks youngster’s hand in a shake that was, on the surface, a nice piece of sportsmanship. It might have been. It might not.

What it was, was also a psychological ploy as Murray looked the youngster in the eye, letting him know the stakes were high, by implication saying: “Don’t mess it up.”

Davids remained ice-cool, though, and landed the winning kick a few minutes later.

Interestingly, neither coach, John Plumtree from the Sharks and Ian Costello from Munster, mentioned the wink after the match. They probably had not seen it, as it was only noticeable on television.

Munster might have discussed it in their dressing room later, but rugby players know that gamesmanship is part of the deal.

The Sharks' Jordan Hendrikse, Bradley Davids and Jaden Hendrikse landed all their penalties in the shootout. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

Growing rivalry

The incident has added another little layer to the growing South Africa/Ireland rugby rivalry.

Ireland have had the Springboks’ number in recent years, winning three of the four Tests they’ve played in the Rassie Erasmus era.

At URC level, South African and Irish teams have set the standard and enjoyed some close matches.

The Stormers beat Ulster with a last-minute conversion in the 2022 semifinal, while the Bulls upset Leinster in Dublin the same year, at the same stage.

Munster turned the tables a year later, beating the Stormers in the 2023 final in Cape Town.

There have also been some close group phase matches. And this year, either the Bulls or the Sharks will advance to the final after meeting in a semifinal at Loftus on Saturday.

Leinster host defending champions Glasgow in Dublin in the other semi. If it goes to seeding, the Bulls will meet Leinster in the URC final in Dublin, setting the stage for another potential flashpoint among fans.

The SA-Ireland rivalry has grown at all levels in tandem with the social media world, which has led to some spiteful online antics.

The reality is that there is a healthy respect between the players — South African players know how good the Irish players and system are. The Irish players have a healthy respect for the world champions.

But at the supporters’ level, the relationship is less cordial. Which is a pity really, but also the sad reality of a world where the slightest bit of mischief can be twisted into something grotesque. DM