Cornal lives Green and Gold dream
The gold medal in his possession says he is a winner. Now Cornal Hendricks hopes to once again transfer his Sevens form onto the 15-a-side stage.
Speaking to rugby365, after claiming gold with South Africa at the Commonwealth Games Sevens in Glasgow last month, Hendricks said the same principles apply to his game in both codes.
Having returned to the 15-man Boks, Hendricks was named on the right wing for the opening Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Pretoria on Saturday.
While his long-term goals include playing with the Sevens team at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, there is the more pressing issue of facing the Pumas.
"I want to produce the same high standards for the [15-a-side] Boks and to ensure the coach and team get value out of me," the 26-year-old Paarl product said of his return to the extended version of the game.
Hendricks, after two seasons with the BlitzBokke on the Sevens circuit, committed to the 15-man game and played for the Cheetahs in Super Rugby this year.
His form was of such a high standard that he made his Test debut against Wales in Durban in June and scored one of the Boks' five tries.
While his size and skills are often the more talked about characteristics, his blistering pace contributes significantly to making him a game-breaker in both codes.
He said to return to Sevens for the Commonwealth Games wasn't that bad, but to switch from Sevens to the 15-a-side game was a challenge initially.
"It took me about a month, with the first couple of games [for the Cheetahs] in Super Rugby rather tough," he told rugby365.
"However, the more I played the more I learned.
"There is an enormous jump from the Sevens game, to Super Rugby and then Test matches," he said, adding that he is determined not to let the 15-man Boks down.
"The two weeks with the Sevens guys was special and to win a gold medal was incredible.
"On top of that we beat the All Blacks [New Zealand Sevens] in the Final."
He said to face the Kiwis was a great honour.
"We know they are our biggest rivals and these teams [SA and NZ] always bring the best out in each other.
"It was a great feeling getting one over on them."
Hendricks first represented the Boland Cavaliers in various age-group competitions and then graduated to the senior team – making his first team debut for Boland against the Free State Cheetahs in the 2008 Currie Cup season.
He then became a member of the SA Sevens team during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 IRB Sevens World Series.
He signed with the Cheetahs for the 2014 season and the rest, as they say, is history.
By Jan de Koning
* Don't miss the final instalment of our interviews with the victorious BlitzBokke, when we chat SA Sevens captain Kyle Brown.
