Bulls bank on Cornal to pull a ‘Rosko’
The forgotten Springbok is back in Super Rugby after a three-year absence and he's already a potential trump card.
Cornal Hendricks. Photo: Gallo Images.
One thing Pote Human has undoubtedly got right from the outset of his early reign as Bulls coach is that he has motivated wingers.
Blitzboks legend Rosko Specman made an outstanding Super Rugby debut against the Stormers last weekend, scoring two tries and backing up Human’s words that he was raring to play.
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It’s exactly the same scenario with forgotten Bok Cornal Hendricks, who’ll start against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Saturday night.
Having fought a brave and successful battle to gain a full-time gig again after being diagnosed with a heart condition in early 2016, the 30-year-old has had to bide his time for a spot in the XV.
Again, Human praised his work ethic and enthusiasm, but – unlike Specman – felt he needed a bit more time.
That process though was sped up a bit by Johnny Kotze’s illness.
“Johnny has meningitis. It’s unfortunate that he’s not available for us, but at the same time it is fortunate for Cornal,” Human said on Tuesday.
“He’s looking forward to his first Super Rugby game in a while.”
Hendricks is a particularly appealing option on the wing for the Bulls given his experience of having played ten Tests under Heyneke Meyer.
One of those is in the cauldron that is Test rugby in Argentina.
“He’s been in Buenos Aires and played over there, so it will mean a lot to him. If you watched Spekkies (Specman) last weekend, he took his chance with both hands so we hope we can see the same from Cornal,” said Human.
“He’s going to have to bank on his experience from previous years. But he is very hungry and very positive about it. When I told him he was going to play he was just very excited and said: ‘Coach, I won’t let you down’.”
Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Cornal Hendricks, Jesse Kriel, Burger Odendaal, Rosko Specman, Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier, Duane Vermeulen, Hanro Liebenberg, Ruan Steenkamp, Lood de Jager (c), Jason Jenkins, Trevor Nyakane, Schalk Brits, Lizo Gqoboka. Bench: Corniel Els, Simphiwe Matanzima, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Eli Snyman, Thembelani Bholi, Ivan van Zyl, Manie Libbok, Dylan Sage.
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