Cornal Hendricks
South African rugby union player (1988–2025)
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Cornal Hendricks (18 April 1988 – 14 May 2025) was a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge.[1] His regular position was wing. He died on 14 May 2025 of a suspected heart attack.[2]
Hendricks playing in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 April 1988 Paarl, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 14 May 2025 (aged 37) Pretoria, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb; 14 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bergrivier High School, Wellington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Hendricks was born and raised in Paarl, Wellington, Western Cape, South Africa, in a poor area called Hillcrest.[3] He came from a rugby-playing family. His father, brother, and grandfather all played, and his mother was a significant influence.[4] He attended Bergrivier Hoërskool, a lesser-known school, and was not selected for prestigious youth tournaments like Craven Week, yet fought his way into Boland's under-21 and senior teams.[5]
Hendricks died of a heart attack on 14 May 2025, at the age of 37.[2][6] He was married to Stephaney, and they had two children.[7] Hendricks was deeply religious, crediting his faith for helping him through his health struggles and emotional challenges.[8]
Career
Boland Cavaliers
Hendricks represented local team Boland Cavaliers through various underage competitions and graduated to the first team.
Hendricks made his first team debut for Boland against the Free State Cheetahs in the 2008 Currie Cup Premier Division season.[9] He remained a first team regular for them over the next five seasons.
Cheetahs / Free State Cheetahs
Hendricks signed a contract with the Cheetahs to join them for the 2014 season,[10] having previously agreed a deal with them for 2013,[11] but failed to play for them in 2013 due to his South Africa Sevens commitments.
Hendricks was included in the Cheetahs squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season[12] and made his debut – also scoring a try – in a 21–20 defeat to the Lions in Bloemfontein.[13][14]
Stormers / Western Province
Hendricks returned to the Western Cape for the 2016 season, signing a two-year deal with Western Province and the Stormers.[15] However, he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition and failed to make any appearances for them.[16]
Toulon
In December 2016, French Top 14 side Toulon announced the signing of Hendricks until the end of the 2016–17 season.[17] However, a few weeks after announcing this deal, Toulon stated that he would not join the team after all.[18]
Representative rugby
Hendricks was also a member of the South Africa Sevens team during the 2011–12 and 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series.[19] In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.[20]
In May 2014, Hendricks was one of eight uncapped players that were called up to a Springbok training camp prior to the 2014 mid-year rugby union tests.[21]
Hendricks made his debut on 14 June 2014 for the Springboks against Wales in Durban.
Honours
Springbok statistics
Test Match Record
Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored
International Tries
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wales | Durban, South Africa | Kings Park | Mid-year rugby test series | 14 June 2014 | Won 38-16 |
| 2 | Wales | Nelspruit, South Africa | Mbombela Stadium | Mid-year rugby test series | 21 June 2014 | Won 31-30 |
| 3 |  Argentina | Salta, Argentina | Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena | 2014 Rugby Championship | 23 August 2014 | Won 33-31 |
| 4 |  Australia | Perth, Australia | Patersons Stadium | 2014 Rugby Championship | 6 September 2014 | Lost 23-24 |
| 5 |  New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand | Westpac Stadium | 2014 Rugby Championship | 13 September 2014 | Lost 10-14 |