Cornal Hendricks, a South African rugby player who made 12 appearances for the Springboks and was a star for his country at sevens, has died. He was 37.

Hendricks died on Wednesday after a heart attack, SA Rugby said on Thursday.

He was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2015 and retired from professional rugby on medical advice, before making a comeback in 2019.

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Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby, said he was “deeply saddened” by the sudden death of Hendricks, who he described as a “remarkable athlete who represented his country in sevens and fifteen-man rugby with distinction”.

The Bulls, where he played the final years of his career, remembered Hendricks’ “zeal for life” and for him being a “gentleman on and off the field”.

Hendricks played 12 Tests as a winger for the Boks in 2014 and ‘15 — scoring five tries — and represented South Africa sevens from 2011-14, winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2014.

He played at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2013, the same year he was voted as South Africa’s player of the year in the format.

In a 17-year club career, during which he also played at centre, Hendricks represented the Cheetahs and the Bulls in Super Rugby and the United Rugby Championship.

“Cornal was one of those players who loved the game and he worked extremely hard, but he always did so with a smile on his face, treating all people with respect,” Alexander said.

“His energy and love of life, on and off the field, lifted his teammates and those around him.”

The Bulls, where he played from 2019-24, allowed Hendricks to make “a remarkable use of his second lease in professional rugby,” its director of rugby Jake White said.

“We all witnessed him leave no stone unturned as he inspired his teammates and the South African community through his story of hope and courage,” White said.

“It was a privilege and honour to have been his coach, a fantastic role model for the next generation and his appetite for life was infectious. Rugby has lost one of the good ones today.”