Following an emphatic and very dramatic Carling Currie Cup season-opening win against the Toyota Cheetahs, the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers have announced their return to top-flight domestic rugby in typical Boland style. Hawies Fourie’s men earned the right to compete with South Africa’s top unions after finishing fourth in the SA Cup competition earlier this year.
Tragedy, however, hit the squad just days after the 36-22 victory over the EP Elephants at the NMU Rugby Stadium. The news of the sudden passing of fellow teammate Cornal Hendricks on 14 May sent shockwaves through the entire sporting world.
Hendricks, 37, returned to Wellington, the home of the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers, ahead of the 2025 season, to help bolster the squad en route to qualifying for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
In a recent IOL interview, a somewhat emotional Fourie spoke about the impact that Hendricks had on the squad, and how he still finds it difficult to process that he is gone.
“Cornal is always in the back of our minds. Sometimes at training or in the meetings, I still look for his face, and I get that shock that he is not with us anymore,” Fourie said.
It was only fitting that two of Cornal and Stephaney’s children led the Cavas into battle ahead, waving Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ flags. Calsey and Malachai walked onto the very ground that not only paved the way for their father to kickstart a prestigious and inspiring career. But it was the same field where he returned after signing with the Cavas from the Vodacom Bulls in 2024.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 27: Late Springbok Cornal Hendricks’ children lead the team out ahead of the historic return of the Carling Currie Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Sanlam Boland Stadium on July 27, 2025, in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
Cornal wore numbers 14, 13 and 12 on the field, but he’ll always be number 1 in our hearts.
Two medals with the Blitzboks – 2014 Commonwealth Gold medal & 2013 World Games Gold medal.
Stephaney and Cornal have three children – Calsey, Malachai, and Nahum.
Four years. 2011-2014 represented the Blitzboks before making his Bok debut in 2014.
His jersey number while playing for the Springbok Sevens
The number of seasons at the Bulls before joining the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers ahead of the 2025 season.
Number of weeks Cornal’s favourite song, Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx, spent in the Top 20 of the Official Singles Charts in 1989.
Cornal was one of eight new caps selected for the Boks in 2014 for the international season by Heyneke Meyer.
The number of years that it took the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers to regain Currie Cup Premier Division status. Cornal was part of the 38-man squad that made this possible.
Cornal played his last Springbok Test in 2015, ten years ago.
Cornal was selected for the world-famous Barbarians that played against Wales in 2019. He played on the left wing, which was very rare in his career.
The number of Springbok Test caps.
2013 was the year that Cornal won the SA Sevens Player of the Year.
His beloved jersey number. Roses United, his childhood club, retired this number for the remainder of the 2025 season, in honour of CH14.
RENALDO ‘Naledi’ Young is proof that hard work when everything else does not seem to go your way, pays off.
The nickname “Naledi” was given to him by his friends while he was dancing on Paarl’s famous Stoepe.
One of the newest contracted members of the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers squad has faced numerous uphill battles since he began dreaming of becoming a professional rugby player.
In 2023, the Paarl-born former New Orleans High School learner got his first taste of euphoria when a gesture from Springbok Sevens coach Philip Snyman made him think he was just a phone call away from the big time.
“It was the weekend of the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, where I played in the Forward Faster Sevens tournament, Young recalls. “The Blitzboks also participated in the tournament, and I had the opportunity to play and test my skills against them.
“After my team’s semi-final game against them, I remember coach Philip giving me the thumbs up and later on asking for my contact details.”
The call to come and train unfortunately never came for Young, who, like during the Covid-19 pandemic, had once again been left pondering the ‘what-if’ question about when his big break would come.
During his high school years at New Orleans High School, there was no call-up to a Boland Schools or Boland Academy Schools side.
After school, Naledi had to go and work, starting with a 12-month leadership at an engineering company before getting a job in the control room of the Drakenstein Municipality’s law enforcement department.
During this time, he played for his boyhood club, Albions, in Western Province club rugby.
The winger then decided to make the move to the Boland Rugby Union after signing on to play for Hillcrest United in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, bringing club rugby to a standstill.
Working at his third new job, as a lifeguard at a local municipal pool, he was again forced to park the dream of becoming a professional rugby player.
Photo: Renaldo Young during the pre-season ahead of the Carling Currie Cup 2025 competition. Photo by Ernest Kilowan / Boland Rugby Media
“The one advantage of working as a lifeguard at that stage, though, was that I spent a lot of time in the swimming pool, keeping up my fitness until rugby reopened.
“And when I heard WP clubs started playing again, I joined my home town team, Albions, before making the movie back to Hillies, where I played for a full two seasons.”
Boland Grootuitdaag, big dogs, Roses United, then came knocking on his door. Although Naledi’s new club did not have the greatest 2024 rugby season – missing out on qualifying for the Sanlam Boland Top 12 – the winger was pleasantly surprised when the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers coach invited him to a training session.
“Especially when Coach Hawies told me after one of the trainings with Boland that he is going to select me in his Boland invitational team to play a game against the Sanlam Boland Top 12 dream team.
“I recall that I was the only member of the invitational team not coming from a club that had made the Top 12.
“I felt honoured, because I was going to be playing in the colours of Boland for the first time, even though it was not for the real Boland side.”
Still employed at WeBuyCars as a driver at that stage, Young says he had to make a big choice. Go all in on the professional rugby dream, or dip your foot in both ponds as a working-class semi-professional player.
“I decided it was time to go all in.” In January, he signed with F7 Sports Management, which is run by Wellington-born agent Shafiek Mouton.
Young likens his relationship with Mouton to the one Jerry Maguire had with his players in the Hollywood blockbuster movie. He continues to discuss the impact of Mouton’s help in achieving his dream of becoming a professional player over the past six months.
“Shafiek has truly played a major role since I joined F7. If it weren’t for him, it would never have been possible to reach the point where I am now, a fully-fledged professional player.
“He is the type of guy who will always send me a message asking how I am doing and how my preparations are going. We have a very good understanding. He always tries to motivate me and advises me on the dos and don’ts as a pro athlete.”
Naledi made his official debut for the Cavas on 12 April, coming on as a replacement in the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ 52-3 SA Cup win against the Border Bulldogs in East London. His first full run-on debut came a week later at the Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington in an 80-0 drubbing of the Leopards.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – APRIL 26: Renaldo Young of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Leopards at Boland Stadium on April 26, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
However, the speedster is yet to score his first official try in black and gold colours and believes that he will realise that dream should he get his chance in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
“Firstly, I never thought that my debut for Boland would come so quickly, because there is a lot of competition on the wings. However, competition for a place in the team is what brings out the best in me, knowing that many players are challenging for a regular spot.
“I am excited to get the opportunity to play in the Currie Cup and put my best foot forward – I know the players on that level are going to be bigger and faster, but I can adapt.
“Now that I am here and can call myself a professional rugby player for Boland, this is where I feel I belong, and this is something that I don’t want to give up.”
But what if Blitzbok coach Philip Snyman does finally give Young that long-awaited call back?
“Well, I am not going to lie, since 2019, it has been one of my dreams to play for my country in sevens. And I would dearly love to get a shot to test myself against the best, but for now my dream is to help Boland retain its place as a giant of South African rugby,” Young says.
Die Sanlam Boland Kavaliere het geskiedenis gemaak deur vir die 2025 Curriebeker Premier-afdeling te kwalifiseer – die hoogste vlak van provinsiale rugby in Suid-Afrika – en dit vir die eerste keer sedert 2016. Hierdie mylpaal, behaal ná ’n uitstekende SA Beker-veldtog, word verwelkom as ’n bron van trots en inspirasie vir die hele Boland Rugby-gemeenskap.
Bennie van Rooi, president van die Boland Rugby Unie, het die span geloof en hul sukses aan ’n kollektiewe poging toegeskryf: “Hierdie is meer as net ’n rugby-oorwinning — dis ’n oorwinning vir elke hoek van die Boland. Van die afrigters, spelers en ondersteuningspersoneel tot ons lojale ondersteuners, uitvoerende bestuur, en ons 221 klubs regoor die Boland — hierdie oomblik behoort aan ons almal,” sê Mnr van Rooi.
“Die Sanlam Boland Kavaliere het met hart, nederigheid en durf gespeel. Hulle het die meer as 18 000 spelers geïnspireer wat Boland se kleure op klub-, skool- en jeugvlak dra. Hierdie promosie is ’n beloning vir dekades se toewyding deur klubadministrateurs, vrywilligers, skeidsregters, en ons permanente personeel wat week na week Boland Rugby aan die gang hou.”
Die Kavaliere se heropbou het oor jare gestrek, met toegewyde afrigters, mediese personeel, en operasionele spanne wat die fondament gelê het vir hierdie prestasie. Die pad na die Premier-afdeling weerspieël Boland se kernwaardes — veerkragtigheid, uitnemendheid, en eenheid.
“Hierdie promosie gaan nie net oor ’n nuwe liga nie,” het Mnr van Rooi gesê. “Dit bring hoop en geleenthede vir ons jeug. Dit sê vir elke kind wat kaalvoet op ’n stowwerige veld in Worcester, Robertson of Vredenburg rugby speel, dat hul drome geldig is — en deur Boland Rugby bereik kan word.”
Die uitvoerende bestuur van die Boland Rugby Unie, saam met Sanlam as hoofborg, Sanlam, Vumatel, en Rainbow Chickens as borge was deurslaggewend in hul ondersteuning van hierdie pad terug na nasionale erkenning.
“Ons bedank elke borg vir hul geloof in die Boland visie en elke borg se belegging in die langtermyn toekoms van die Kavaliere en ons streek se spelers. Dit is ’n trotse dag vir ons almal.”
Boland Rugby Union champions youth development through Get Into Rugby festival
Boland Rugby Union will again aim to impact youth sports development when it hosts its annual Get Into Rugby (GIR) Festival at the Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, 3 May 2025.
120 learners from 10 schools will attend the event while a second festival, planned for later in the year, will include all 25 schools participating in the GIR programme in Boland.
Get Into Rugby is a programme created by World Rugby and implemented by SA Rugby as part of its development pathway in conjunction with its member union, Boland Rugby.
This programme aims to grow the game globally by introducing children to rugby in a safe and inclusive environment. Boland Rugby Union has been a proud implementer of this initiative for the past two years, with a proven track record of excellence and community engagement.
GIR Programme 2024
“This festival is about more than rugby – it’s about giving children from all backgrounds, especially those in under-resourced communities, a chance to belong, to grow, and to dream,” said Mr David Coert, Manager, Get Into Rugby, Boland Rugby. “We invite the media and the wider community to join us on the day to witness how rugby is being used as a tool to change lives.”
The day’s programme will begin at 08:30 with school registrations and a warm welcome over tea and coffee. A highlight will be the interactive session between learners and Boland Cavaliers players, offering the children an up-close experience with their sporting heroes. From 10:00 to 13:10, the action shifts to the field as teams compete in a sevens format, with two simultaneous matches taking place on divided sections of the A-field.
Mr Bennie van Rooi, President of Boland Rugby Union, emphasised the initiative’s long-term vision: “We believe in building the future of rugby by investing in our youth today. The Get Into Rugby programme is creating pathways for talent while also instilling the values of discipline, teamwork, and respect.”
Since its implementation, the GIR programme in Boland has reached over 9,000 learners, with 4,394 participating in 2024 alone. The Union also prioritises capacity building, with over 25 active coaches in the system. This ensures not only access but also the sustainability of youth development in rugby.
Ms Celly Peters, who heads Rugby Development at Boland Rugby Union, noted, “It’s very rewarding to see how the programme empowers learners and coaches. We aim to create an ecosystem where everyone involved in the game can grow.”
The GIR Festival is open to media, sponsors, community leaders, and rugby fans who wish to support and celebrate the game’s future.
For media accreditation or more information, please contact press@marchmoonmedia.com
Wellington, South Africa – In a landmark initiative to uplift and back grassroots rugby, Sanlam and the Motsepe Foundation have partnered with the Boland Rugby Union to distribute a remarkable array of equipment to its 221 official affiliated clubs. This significant event took place at the Boland Rugby Stadium on 22 February 2025 ahead of the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The Boland Rugby Union is the biggest union – in terms of size and geographic distance – in South Africa and has played an integral part in ensuring that its members get the very best through these and other Corporate Social Investment (CSI) projects.
“We are grateful to our long-term partners – Sanlam and the Motsepe Foundation – for going above and beyond by empowering the Boland Rugby Union to make a noticeable impact at the clubs,” said Bennie van Rooi, president of Boland Rugby Union. “This initiative is its second year, and we can see the impact that it has made following last year’s handover. Rugby clubs in the Boland have a strong loyal following so being able to help them with equipment will help improve things at club level.”
Photo: Bennie van Rooi (President, Boland Rugby Union (BRU)), far left, Quintin van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Boland Rugby (Pty) Ltd, and Carl Roothman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sanlam Investment Group. Photo credit: Maurisha Poceiro Santos
The comprehensive donation to approximately 490 teams from 221 registered rugby clubs included over 2,300 rugby balls, approximately 70 carrying boards and neck braces, and nearly 300 pole protectors. This initiative underlines the Boland Rugby Union’s unwavering commitment to helping grow talent and promoting the sport across the region.
“We are proud to support Boland Rugby because of the powerful role sport plays in empowering communities. Our partnership with Boland Rugby aligns with our core belief in the transformative power of sport to uplift and inspire young people, especially in our underserved communities. Through initiatives like this, we’re not only providing sports gear, but also aiming to foster confidence, resilience, and opportunities for individuals who can then give back to their communities,” said Carl Roothman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sanlam Investment Group.
This event testifies to the magnitude and power of sport within the Boland region which stretches across 13 municipalities and is played across four leagues including three senior men’s divisions and one women’s competition. Many of the clubs received the same level of support as the top clubs in Boland, with the Sanlam Boland Top 12 – the union’s flagship competition – showcasing the best talent in the top leagues, it is initiatives like this that set the Boland Rugby Union apart from its fellow South African rugby unions.
“When we partner with the Boland Rugby Union, we understand and know that it will be utilised to the maximum benefit of each club,” said Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Chairperson of the Motsepe Foundation. “We hope that this investment will help clubs to continue to provide a safe space and ideal platform to showcase the talented and gifted rugby players that can be found in Boland, men and women.”
Sanlam Boland Top 12 Presidents Team and Hawies Fourie Invitational Side Announced
Wellington, 24 November 2024 — The Sanlam Boland Rugby Union is proud to announce the creation of the Sanlam Boland Top 12 Presidents Team and the Hawies Fourie Invitational Side, two representative teams set to clash in a special match on Saturday, 30 November at the iconic Boland Stadium in Wellington. This highly anticipated match will be live streamed on Boland Rugby’s official YouTube channel.
The announcement of the President’s Team took place during halftime of the Sanlam Boland Top 12 Final on Saturday, 23 November, where Robertson Town Rugby Football Club (RFC) beat Villagers Worcester RFC, 31-29, in an epic clash that will be remembered for decades to come. Robertson got the better of the four-time Boland champ courtesy of the educated boot of Colin Willemse, who slotted four penalties and converted two of his side’s three tries to clinch the 2024 Sanlam Boland Top 12 title.
Photo: Robertson Town RFC celebrating their 2024 Sanlam Boland Top 12 title after beating Villagers Worcester RFC, 31-29, on 23 November in Wellington. Photo credit: Kenneth Ruiters
Speaking about the initiative, President Bennie van Rooi expressed his enthusiasm for the talent on display. “Boland is home to over 200 registered rugby clubs, making it the largest rugby union in Africa. The Sanlam Boland Top 12 competition highlights the exceptional skill, dedication, and passion that define our players and clubs. These two representative teams are an exciting next step to amplify the opportunity for our athletes to shine on a broader stage.”
Hawies Fourie, head coach of the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers, has been working closely with the Sanlam Boland Top 12 organisers to select players. He emphasised the value of this competition: “The Sanlam Boland Top 12 competition has provided an outstanding platform for unearthing the raw talent in our region. The live-streaming of the 30 round-robin matches and semi-finals allowed me and the other coaches to analyse performances at our own pace carefully. This process ensured we selected players who captivate the spirit and skill of Boland rugby.”
Fourie revealed his broader vision for Boland Rugby. “We will select 8–10 players from across the club structures to join a high-performance programme. This initiative will parallel our in-season schedule, gradually integrating these players into the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ setup. It’s crucial to provide platforms like the Sanlam Boland Top 12 to showcase talent and build a pipeline for players to excel at higher levels.”
The two squads will convene for training on Wednesday, 27 November, before their highly anticipated match. For further details and updates, visit Boland Rugby’s social media platforms and do not miss the live-streamed match on 30 November.
The two squads are as follows (clubs they represent mentioned in brackets):
Sanlam Boland Top 12 President Team: 1 Henwill Cleophas (Darling), 2 Divan Joshua (Saldanha), 3 Andries De Kock (Villagers Worcester), 4 Emile Booysen (Saldanha), 5 Daniel Temm (Vredenburg), 6 Freginald Africa (Robertson Town), 7 Colin April (Newtons), 8 Charl Castleman (Young Spurs), 9 Gurshwin Africa (Villagers Worcester), 10 Earl Lewis (Darling), 11 Terrence Ludix (Safcol United), 12 Jovelian De Koker (Robertson Town), 13 Conan Le Fleur (Vredenburg), 14 Andrin Mepomie (Safcol United), 15 Lorenzo Swart (Caledon)
Replacements: 16 Johannes Geldenhuys (Villagers Worcester), 17 Jashrie Karriem (Robertson Town), 18 Robin Adams (Safcol United), 19 Louis Lotter (Vredenburg), 20 Dihan Van Der Walt (Robertson Town), 21 Jason Beukes (Safcol United), 22 Jurich Claasen (Safcol United), 23 Cubitt Michaels (Villagers Worcester)
Hawies Fourie Invitational Team: 1 Anele Zingitwa (Villagers Worcester), 2 Jacquinn Ruthford (Safcol United), 3 Stephan Fourie (Caledon), 4 Markus De Beer (Young Spurs), 5 Curtley Timm (Robertson Town), 6 Rowan Heneke (Caledon), 7 John Van Der Vent (Saldanha), 8 Benjamin Dwayi (Safcol United), 9 Gilton Mangena (Hillcrest United), 10 Colin Willemse (Robertson Town), 11 Matthew Jacobs (Saldanha), 12 Shane Cole Williams (Newtons), 13 Jenno April (Robertson Town), 14 Renaldo Young (Roses United), 15 Jadrian De Klerk (Villagers Worcester)
