Cornal Hendricks was set for Bulls coaching job before untimely passing

Late Springboks wing Cornal Hendricks was in talks with the Bulls about a possible coaching job at the union a week before his untimely passing.

The 37-year-old Hendricks passed away on Wednesday evening from a heart attack, 10 years after being diagnosed with a rare heart condition.

After the diagnosis in 2015, doctors advised Hendricks to quit the game. But Hendricks still wanted to keep playing and sought a second opinion.

After four years in the rugby wilderness, and playing club rugby in the Boland with boyhood club Roses United, the Bulls gave the Bok flyer a rugby lifeline in 2019.

A couple of years later, he won the Covid-19 influenced Super Rugby Unlocked title and the Currie Cup with the Bulls, winning the player of the tournament for the latter competition in the 2021-22 season.

Hendricks earned 115 caps and scored 34 tries across all competitions in five seasons with the Bulls before leaving the union in September last year.

He returned home to the Boland Cavaliers where his professional rugby career kicked off in 2008. But Hendricks ended up playing only three games in the SA Cup for Boland and hadn’t played any rugby since March.

There has been no confirmation why Hendricks hadn’t featured in Boland’s run to the semi-finals, which saw them gain entry into this season’s Currie Cup competition.

But it seems like Hendricks was on the verge of retiring from the sport, especially after Bulls chief executive Edgar Rathbone confirmed at a somber and heartbreaking press conference on Thursday that they approached Hendricks to return to the union in some of sort of coaching capacity.

“About a week ago I spoke to Cornal about a role here after rugby, because we know what he can add,” a tearful and visibly emotional Rathbone told reporters.

What is for sure is that Hendricks left an indelible mark at Loftus Versfeld, not only with his magnificent talents with ball in hand, but also the spirit and positivity he brought to the Bulls off the park. 

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“This is the toughest press conference I’ve had to do in my career. We lost a beloved member of our family,” Rathbone said.

“Cornal will always be remembered as a guy who had a hell of a lot of energy, always up for a joke. He was the heart and soul of this team.

“Cornal will be missed, he was always the same person whether he was selected or not. It’s a great example for younger players. He will be missed, but he won’t be forgotten.

“Cornal embodied the spirit of what rugby should be. He played with a smile on his face, and that must never be forgotten.”

Rathbone revealed that Hendricks has annual checkups with controversial cardiologist, Dr Wouter Basson during his time at the Bulls.

The Bulls were lauded for giving Hendricks a second chance to live out his dreams. But such was Hendricks’ determination to play again after his diagnosis, that he would have found a way to get on a pitch somewhere.

“For him to live out his passion is a great thing. For us to take credit for that would be wrong,” Rathbone said.

“Knowing the person that Cornal was, he would have found a way to live out his passion, whether it was with the Bulls or somewhere else.

“He had such a strong will to play, even club rugby. That would have been enough for him.”

Rathbone sent his condolences to Hendricks’ wife, Stephaney and their three kids on behalf of the Bulls, saying they will support the family during this difficult time.

“It’s with great shock that the news came … our thoughts and prayers with his wife Stephanie and his three kids. I don’t think there are words that can console them at this time,” the Bulls chief said.

“We are in discussions with the family and our shareholders about how we can support them. Cornal left us in September last year, and he and Devin [Williams] were still running soup kitchens in Pretoria.”

@JohnGoliath82