CORNAL HENDRICKS: The fighter with the biggest heart and a bigger smile, dies at 37

Springbok winger Cornal Hendricks, the player with the biggest heart rugby has ever seen, died on Wednesday night of a suspected heart attack. He was 37.

RIP Cornal Hendriks! Son of Paarl! Sad day for rugby! Thoughts and Prayers with his family! 🏉 pic.twitter.com/QkZ3XuMDwK

— Captain Springbok 🤜🤛 (@CaptSpringbok) May 14, 2025

The popular winger, who played 12 tests for the Springboks, was playing for the Boland Cavaliers this season and helped them secure qualification into this year’s Currie Cup competition.

But Hendricks' rugby tale was intertwined with his medical struggles, as a rare heart condition stopped him from living his rugby dream for two years, but couldn’t keep him from fighting back.

The dream of a player who never planned to give up, who fought his way out of poverty and only knew one way, was realised, but not the way he always thought it would be.

STORY OF A FIGHTER

Hendricks’ story is one of a player who rose from nothing to become a Springbok, and then had his dream cut short at the most untimely moment.

But he never stopped believing, and never stopped playing, even though he was advised to not play again.

And while he never played for the Springboks again, Hendricks will forever be seen as a legend of the local game.

His sense of humour, positive outlook and the amount of unseen work he did for his community in Wellington will always make him a special player.

While details of his death are still unknown, reports indicate a heart attack was the cause. More details are likely to come to light in the next few days.

Still, the tale of a talented youngster who attended the little-known Bergrivier Hoërskool and wasn’t picked up at Craven Week, but fought his way into the Boland under-21 ranks and then into the senior side won’t be forgotten.

Because more than anything, Hendricks was a fighter.

He made his debut for the Boland Cavaliers in 2008 and was a regular for five seasons with the team, where he caught the eye of the Springbok Sevens team.

BLISTERING PACE

With his power and blistering pace, he was an instant hit for the Blitzboks, representing the team in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons and at the Sevens World Cup in Moscow, Russia. He was also part of the Blitzboks team that won gold at the World Games in Cali, Colombia and at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Hendricks turned his attention back to fifteens in 2014, joining the Toyota Cheetahs and was again exceptional on attack, earning him a Springbok call-up. He played 12 tests for the Boks, including a memorable try against the All Blacks.

But at the age of 27, just after signing a contract with the Stormers, Hendricks was dealt a massive blow.

He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition and told not to play rugby again.

Hendricks told SA Rugby Mag at the time that his world came crashing down.

“I felt I was at the peak of my career at the time. I had just signed a deal to join the Stormers. Growing up in the Western Cape, it had always been one of my dreams to play for them in front of the Newlands faithful,” he said.

DARK PLACE

“I was in a dark place after the doctors told me my career was over. I endured physical pain, but sometimes the emotional pain was so bad I would just curl up in bed and refuse to have contact with the outside world, or even speak to my family.

"I couldn’t watch rugby in 2016, including when the Blitzboks played at the Olympics. Whenever I tried, I would imagine myself being there and I would cry. I could have been at the Olympics; instead I was at home thinking I’d probably never be allowed to set foot on a field again. The past three years have been difficult, but 2016 was the worst.”

Hendricks never publicly named the medical condition he had, but he made a decision that he wouldn’t let it keep him down. He kept trying to find a way back into rugby and eventually got a call from the Bulls after playing in an invitational side in America.

The Vodacom Bulls gave him a chance to return to professional rugby after subjecting him to intense medical and fitness tests, which he passed easily.

NO FEAR

At the time, he said he didn’t have any fear for his health.

“I don’t train or play with fear. Illness and injuries can happen to any player on any day; none of us are guaranteed of anything. But for now I’ve been cleared and I trust the opinion of my specialist, who is highly rated in his field.

"I’m big on religion and I truly believe God has healed me. It’s going to be a process to get match-fit, but I feel better than ever. At the Bulls I’m in the right system and back at a level where I want to be. I’m not scared of anything.”

Hendricks became a regular for the Bulls and played 72 times for them in Super Rugby and the United Rugby Championship, adding another 42 matches for the Bulls in the Currie Cup.

One of the most popular players in the game, Hendricks also founded the Cornal Hendricks Foundation and gave back to the community that raised him.

His mother, Rachel, who worked as a cleaner and raised him as a single mom, was his inspiration and she often told stories of how Cornal would return home with groceries to hand out to the community. He later established his foundation, which, among others, supports young players from impoverished backgrounds and a community nursery school.

MADE A DIFFERENCE IN HIS COMMUNITY

“If I’m not going to play rugby, what can I do to make a difference in someone else’s life? When I started to shift my energy and emotions to helping other people, helping a child achieve his goal, I found completeness,” he said in an interview at the time.. “While doing that, I forgot about my emotions. I was focusing on other people, giving back to my community in a bigger way.

“Sometimes you lose track, it’s all about you as a professional, you get all the material things, and when they get taken from you, your back’s against the wall, then you start realising, listen, I don’t have those fancy things anymore, God is taking me through things that he wants you to do for him in order to give your talent back again.”

The smile that nobody would ever forget also made him popular with his teammates. Hendricks was known as the joker, the guy who could make light of any situation. But he was focused and respected, and nobody thought he was a joke on the field.

Hendricks played a massive role in the Bulls' success in the Covid-disrupted 2020/21 season, taking over the captaincy of the team and also being named the Currie Cup Player of the year. But despite some exceptional form, he was never in the Springboks’ radar, perhaps because of the complicated medical history and the risk that seemed to surround him.

Hendricks started to fade into the background in the last two seasons at the Bulls as he reached the twilight of his career, and last year announced he would be returning to Boland in order to help them qualify for the Currie Cup.

RETURN TO BOLAND

Boland made him captain, and he was, by all accounts, playing an important role in uniting the community behind the team and helping them rise as a rugby union again.

Hendricks played 68 times for Boland, 28 for the Cheetahs, 72 for the Bulls and 43 times for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. His 12 tests for the Springboks delivered five tries.

But he will always be remembered for the life force he was, the massive smile he brought to rugby and the joy he got out of playing the game.

Hendricks’ fight is now over, but he made his mark and reminded us that no matter what, nobody would ever keep him down.

He will be missed. RIP.