Siya Kolisi addresses ‘winkgate’: It’s all part of rugby’s entertainment

Let’s get over it. It’s rugby, it’s entertainment.

That is the short and sweet answer Siya Kolisi gave when asked about the Jaden Hendrikse ‘Winkgate’ fallout after the Sharks beat Munster in the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday in Durban.

Hendrikse cramped up and was treated while the place-kicking shootout was on. With the Durban side leading the kicks after Rory Scannell failed to slot one for the visitors, Hendrikse pulled out a bit of gamesmanship with Jack Crowley. While being treated by medics, he was lying on his back and looked Crowley dead in the face ahead of Crowley’s kick and gave him a cheeky wink.

The wink and blowout of Crowley caused quite a fallout, especially from Ireland supporters.

The Sharks went on to win the place-kick contest 6-4 after the playoff ended 24-all. They will now face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in the semi-finals on Saturday evening.

“We stand with Jaden,” Kolisi said.

“Jaden is competitive and there was banter everywhere in the game. We’ve seen it from players all over the world. It’s a normal day, and these things happen. People can say what they like, but there was banter between two players, and that’s all there is. That is who Jaden is.

“He knows we back him all the way. I get people saying stuff to me and I don’t moan about it.”

Kolisi added that this is the entertainment part of rugby, and it will make people want to come back next time. He said players must be allowed to be who they want to be.

“If guys want to celebrate, let them do what they do. We all have our own ways of dealing with stuff. We can’t put each other in boxes, and we can’t all be the same. We are not robots; we are human beings. We express ourselves how we want to.

“Sometimes you are going to take, and sometimes you are going to give it out.”