The South African rugby community was shocked late Wednesday night by the news that former Springbok and Bulls fullback, Cornal Hendricks, had suddenly passed away.

According to reports, Hendricks died after a massive heart attack. He turned 37 last month.

Hendricks attended Bergrivier High School in Wellington, which is not known as a leading rugby school. He therefore only came to prominence after school when he made it to the Boland u.21 team via club rugby.

He then played in 68 matches for the Boland Cavaliers between 2008 and 2012.

After he was first approached by the Blitzboks management in 2011, Hendriks spent most of his time with the Blitzboks in 2012 and 2013, where he ultimately represented his country in 17 tournaments. A highlight of his sevens career was when he won the gold medal with the Blitzboks at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

That same year he decided to return to the fifteen-man code and signed a contract with the Cheetahs, after which he moved to Bloemfontein. He would eventually play in 27 matches for the Cheetahs in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, while he also made his Springbok debut in 2014 under the coaching of Heyneke Meyer.

After playing in 12 tests for the Springboks – during which he scored five tries – as a Cheetahs player in 2014 and 2015, Hendricks accepted an offer from the Western Province and Stormers to return to the Western Cape.

However, before he could play a single game for the Stormers, disaster derailed Hendricks’ career during pre-season preparation in 2016. He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition, with doctors advising him to quit the game while in the prime of his rugby career at the age of 27.

After seeking a second opinion on his health, he received the green light from a cardiologist to play again and he resumed playing club rugby. At the end of 2018, the Bulls announced that Hendricks had signed a contract with the union, after almost three years in the rugby wilderness. The Bulls decided to give him a chance to play at the top level again, after he was subjected to intense medical and fitness tests, all of which he passed with flying colours.

Since 2019, he has played in 72 matches for the Bulls in competitions such as SuperRugby, SuperRugby Unlocked and the URC, while he has also played in 42 matches for the Blue Bulls, mainly in the Currie Cup series.

Hendricks’ pleasant nature and positive outlook on life made him an especially popular player, not only among his teammates, but also with administrators, the media and even opponents.

He was also a very good leader and was a regular captain of the team in the Currie Cup tournament during his time at Loftus Versfeld. He was named Currie Cup Player of the Year in the Covid-disrupted 2020/21 season.

In October last year, it was announced that Hendriks would leave Pretoria and the Bulls and return to Paarl to finish his career at Boland.

He is survived by his wife, Stephany, and two children.

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