Esterhuizen urges Sharks to unlock Ethan Hooker ahead of Stormers rematch

Sharks skipper Andre Esterhuizen feels the side need to get the ball into the hands of midfield partner and fellow Springbok Ethan Hooker more often if they are to get the best out of the talented utility back, predicting that there is plenty more to come from their burgeoning partnership.

“I think it’s still fairly new, to be honest with you; we’re still finding each other in a way. We definitely need to find a way to get the ball to him a little bit more as well because I think he’s an unbelievable rugby player with ball in hand and on defence,” Esterhuizen said, during the week.

The Sharks are preparing for their return United Rugby Championship clash against the Stormers, having brought their high-flying rivals back down to earth with a statement victory at DHL Stadium on Saturday.

While Hooker’s defensive skillset was once again on display in the middle of the park, Esterhuizen believes there is far more to his game.

“I think he’s obviously growing as a player every weekend, and we’re getting accustomed to each other. I think now when we start to know each other a little bit more and play more together week in and week out, getting consistent games together, it will go a lot better. We’ll start playing off each other, putting each other in space and running off each other,” he said.

“It will just become easier the more we play because the last two weeks we were both off; this was our first game back together again, and hopefully this weekend we play together again.”

The Sharks skipper knows their coastal rivals will step into the Shark Tank on Saturday (5pm kick-off) with a point to prove, with last weekend’s 30-19 home defeat their only blemish in an otherwise perfect URC season.

“They’re definitely going to be fired up. They’re going to want to come back, prove a point. We definitely expect the best from them,” he said.

“We know what’s coming, we know the challenge, and we’re definitely up for the challenge. They had an off week last week and this week they’re going to try to rectify it.

"We can see if we can put them under pressure again. That’s the thing about South African derbies – you need to be up for them every week.”

Esterhuizen also stressed the importance of heading into the Six Nations break with momentum.

“I think everyone is in the right mindset and knows we can’t give a once-off performance like that; we need to back it up the next weekend again. This is our last game before we have a bit of a break and I think everyone wants to go into the break in a good way, so there’s obviously massive motivation for this weekend.”