Bok star Ethan Hooker targets All Blacks return after controversial shoulder injury

The Sharks powerhouse is currently sidelined after suffering a dislocated shoulder following Luke Morgan's dog shot during the United Rugby Championship clash in April.

The injury ruled him out for the remainder of the Durban outfit's campaign and will also impact South Africa's start to the Nations Championship.

He will miss the July Tests against England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the warm-up fixture against the Barbarians.

However, the 23-year-old could still return in time for the New Zealand series, with Rapport reporting that a "tentative" timeline has been set for his recovery.

Hooker has undergone surgery to repair the damage caused by Morgan's actions and is expected to be sidelined for around 10 weeks.

There was significant fallout from the controversial incident, with Sharks boss JP Pietersen left angered by the Ospreys wing's cheap shot, which saw Morgan dive on top of Hooker after the Springbok scored a try.

"Ethan's injury was a massive blow for us," Pietersen said. "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."

The Sharks requested that the incident be investigated by the United Rugby Championship, but Morgan was not cited as it was deemed not to meet the red card threshold.

Although the try was reviewed by the officials, they took no issue with the actions of the 33-year-old, and the incident ultimately went unpunished.

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