Sbu Nkosi. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
- Bulls utility running back Cornal Hendricks said it was important for teammate S’bu Nkosi to have a soft landing on his return to the Bulls.
- Nkosi went AWOL, but was found in December of last year and returned to practice with the Bulls last week.
- The Bulls take on the Stormers in a major United Rugby Championship North/South Derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Bulls running back Cornal Hendricks said he is more than ready to offer his shoulder as a place to cry over the return of wing S’bu Nkosi and have coffee with him once the storm surrounding his absence subsides. .
Nkosi, who went AWOL last year for three weeks before being found in his hometown of Barberton in early December, returned to the Bulls last week.
Hendricks, who missed his best years of rugby union between 2016 and 2018 due to a heart problem, said he understood the dark hole Nkosi found himself in.
READ | The Bulls confirm that Jake White is back in Loftus: “His influence on everyone is immeasurable”
Nkosi’s return to the Bulls also coincides with the return of director of rugby Jake White from abdominal surgery as the Bulls prepare for the United Rugby Championship North/South Derby against the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld.
Hendricks said he wants Nkosi to feel comfortable telling his own story so he can be an inspiration to others.
“I spent three years out of the game and it was a tough time for me, but I thought I was okay, even though I didn’t see anybody,” Hendricks said.
“Sometimes these kinds of things catch up with you in old age, and now I’ve noticed that if you talk to someone, it lightens the load.
“Speaking up helps because it helps you get back to yourself, so I think it helped with him. I’d like to have coffee with him to hear his side of the story.”
“We all have our side of the story to tell, and we all have a testimony when we go through things. We also want the world to know that you want to be an inspiration to others.
“When things calm down after a couple of games, I want to have coffee with him and ask him what his battles were.
READ | ‘Back where I belong’: Bulls confirm Bok winger Nkosi has returned to training
“I want to give him a shoulder as a brother and as a player.”
The Bulls may have outstanding talent on the wing that has made up for Nkosi’s absence, but with Hendricks, the class remains permanent.
In their transition from the Sharks to the Bulls, which was also plagued by injury, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie excelled to the point where they became Springboks.
Hendricks said dealing with mental health is never easy, but Nkosi must first be tried for being human before being tried for his profession.
“We know his talent and what he can bring to the team. It was said for us as a team to see what he went through,” Hendricks said.
“He is S’bu the human before S’bu the rugby player because sometimes not everyone knows the pressure that comes with being a professional rugby player.
“There’s a lot of things that people say, like ha, we made a lot of money and all that stuff. It’s not just about that.”
READ | Now, loose security… and the Stormers shouldn’t have to stray far.
“This is about your mental health, and I’m proud of S’bu for reaching out for help and also for apologizing to the team.
“He has a shoulder for anyone and everyone who wants to come and talk to him. It’s nice to have a teammate back though.”
“It’s S’bu again and sometimes we need to take a step back to realize who we are as human beings and who we are in this world.
“We are proud of him.”
