Forever in our hearts, CH14

by | Jul 31, 2025 | Boland Top 12, Club, News, Sanlam Boland Cavaliers

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)

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)
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)
  1. Cornal wore numbers 14, 13 and 12 on the field, but he’ll always be number 1 in our hearts.
  2. Two medals with the Blitzboks – 2014 Commonwealth Gold medal & 2013 World Games Gold medal.
  3. Stephaney and Cornal have three children – Calsey, Malachai, and Nahum.
  4. Four years. 2011-2014 represented the Blitzboks before making his Bok debut in 2014.
  5. His jersey number while playing for the Springbok Sevens
  6. The number of seasons at the Bulls before joining the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers ahead of the 2025 season.
  7. 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.
  8. Cornal was one of eight new caps selected for the Boks in 2014 for the international season by Heyneke Meyer.
  9. 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.
  10. Cornal played his last Springbok Test in 2015, ten years ago.
  11. 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.
  12. The number of Springbok Test caps.
  13. 2013 was the year that Cornal won the SA Sevens Player of the Year.
  14. His beloved jersey number. Roses United, his childhood club, retired this number for the remainder of the 2025 season, in honour of CH14.