Versatility can be a burden as well as a boon for rugby players. No-one wants to be a Jack of all trades, but master of none, and either never settle in one position, or else never get to the top of their game, in one chosen position.
For Hollywoodbets Sharks centre and now wing Ethan Hooker, there is value to playing in both positions.
“Wherever the coach wants me to play, I’ll play there,” he admits. “And with a smile on my face.
“There are not too many differences between playing wing and outside centre. The biggest thing is the back field work which I find helps me a lot to see the game a lot more from a different perspective. Ultimately, playing at wing is going to help me when I go back to playing at centre. So I’m enjoying playing on the wing, although I wouldn’t say I have a preference for it.”
When it comes to the national squad under Rassie Erasmus, this mould has been broken, with many players having multiple roles, perhaps defining how the modern player should view himself. A wing throwing in at the lineout, or a scrumhalf kicking for poles: these are some of the elaborate and multifaceted roles that are being embraced.
“In this day and age, it’s a benefit to be able to play in multiple positions, especially if you want to achieve higher honours,” Hooker explains as he lets on about his goals and ambitions.
“When I was told [by head coach John Plumtree] that I would be playing wing, that just opens more doors, so I’ve used this opportunity to develop my game.
“I see it as more of a benefit that anything else.”
Rubbing shoulders with some of the superstars in the team certainly doesn’t harm anyone’s development, particularly so for someone as young as Hooker, who at just 21 years old, defines the saying: ‘If he’s good enough, he’s old enough’.
“We have a very good side and at the moment we just need to understand just how good we actually are,” he explains.
“We’re getting there, game by game, and the big names help alongside, the more we can connect with each other, the better we will be.”
Over the last month, with a semi-final victory, a title, a competitive effort against a top side and a late victory last week – all four on the road – this Hollywoodbets Sharks team has come to believe in itself.
“We are a team that’s going to fight to the end and it shows on the field when we win tight games like last week’s against the Dragons. It comes down to fighting for a team goal, for fighting for one another and staying in the fight.
“We talk about this a lot during the week and I think it shows in our games.”
As the team prepare for their final tour match, against Benetton this Saturday he acknowledges the opposition, but admits that the focus for his team is internal.
“Their backline has some stars, we know what they can do, we’ve watched some clips of them and some of their players are with the Italian national side, so we know they’re a decent side.
“Right now we’re more concerned with what we can achieve, rather than them.”
