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McNeil Hendricks
McNeil Hendricks
McNeil Hendricks
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Key Information

McNeil Hendricks (born 10 July 1973),[1] also known as "Maccie", is a former South African rugby union player who played primarily as a wing. He starred in the movie Invictus, in which he played the role of Chester Williams.

Early life

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Hendricks was born in Malmesbury. He attended St Thomas Primary School and finally matriculated at Schoonspruit Senior Secondary. In 1996 Hendricks was selected in the Boland President's Shield A team. He also played for Boland under 23 in the Bankfin U23 Cup.

Career

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1996

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Hendricks made his Currie Cup debut for Boland in 1996. During the same year he was chosen in the Boland Invitation XV to face the touring All Blacks. At the end of 1996, he was part of the South Africa A squad that toured through the UK.

1997

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Hendricks rose to prominence in the 1997 Currie Cup as a wing playing for Boland. This Boland team was coached by Nick Mallet and caused numerous upsets. His efforts did not go unnoticed, as he was selected at centre for the Emerging Springboks to play the touring British and Irish Lions. The game took place on his home ground, Boland Stadium in Wellington. The Lions ended up winning the game 51-22. His centre partner on the day was former Springbok Percy Montgomery with Kenya Sevens team and former Blitzbokke coach Paul Treu on the left wing.[2]

Hendricks was also selected for the Springboks' successful end of year tour to Italy, France, England and Scotland. He did however not play in any games.[3]

1998

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In 1998 Hendricks moved to the Bulls rugby team after impressing with Boland for three seasons and played in the Super 12 for the Bulls from 1998. He remained at Boland for the 1998 Currie Cup season, before signing with the Blue Bulls at the end of the season. Hendricks however played during a dark time of Bulls rugby and therefore his talents were not fully exposed. He did however do enough to impress Springbok coach Nick Mallet, who has coached him at Boland, to be selected for the Springboks after also playing well for Boland against the touring Irish. On 20 June 1998 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Hendricks made his Springbok debut, taking the field as a substitute against Ireland. The Springboks won the game 33-0.[4] The next week, on 27 June 1998, again at Loftus Versfeld, Hendricks earned his second and last Springbok cap, by again coming on as a replacement against Wales, replacing Stefan Terblanche in the 49th minute. A game the Springboks won 96-13. This remains the highest score the Springboks have scored against Wales. Hendricks scored his only test try during this game.[5] The following weekend, 4 July 1998 Hendricks found himself again on the replacement bench at Newlands in Cape Town against England, but was not used during the game.

1999 to 2002

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In 1999 Hendricks completely moved to Pretoria, playing Super Rugby for the Bulls and Currie Cup for the Blue Bulls. He was selected for the South Africa A team on their tour to Europe in 2001. He struggled to maintain his starting position in the Bulls team and found himself in the Bulls A team on occasion during 2002. During his time with the Bulls they only won one Currie Cup trophy, in 2002. Hendricks was not selected for the final against the Lions.[6]

2003 to 2004

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After the emergence of numerous other young wings and struggling to keep his spot in the team, Hendricks was forced to look elsewhere for regular first team rugby. He was snapped up by the Bloemfontein based Cheetahs in the 2003 season. After a disappointing season with the Cheetahs, Hendricks signed with the Kimberley based Griquas team. He played for one season which was hampered by injury.

In a bid to rejuvenate his ailing career, Hendricks signed with Western Province in 2004. He had a mediocre Vodacom Cup in which he was again hampered with injuries. He retired when his contract with Western Province expired.[7]

Test history

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No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Tries Date Venue
1.  Ireland 33–0 Replacement 20 Jun 1998 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
2.  Wales 96–13 Replacement 1 27 Jun 1998 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

After retirement

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Hendricks is still active with developing rugby in his local community and in July 2012 completed the BokSmart Rugby Safety course and attended an IRB Level 2 Coaching workshop in Cape Town to promote safety in rugby in his local community.[8]

Invictus

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Director Clint Eastwood cast Hendricks as 1995 Rugby World Cup winning Springbok legend, Chester Williams for the movie Invictus, released in 2009. This is so far his only acting role.[9]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

McNeil Hendricks

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
McNeil Hendricks is a South African former rugby union player and actor known for his career as a wing in professional rugby and for portraying Springbok Chester Williams in the 2009 film Invictus. He earned two Test caps for the Springboks in 1998, debuting against Ireland in Pretoria and playing a second match against Wales shortly thereafter. Hendricks played for several provincial teams during his career, including Boland—where he began under coach Nick Mallett—along with the Blue Bulls, Cheetahs, Griquas, and Western Province. He was part of the 1997 Springbok squad and toured with South Africa A. His selection to portray Chester Williams in Invictus came directly from Williams himself, who asked him to take on the role due to their similar backgrounds and playing styles. Hendricks worked closely with Williams on the film, re-enacting key 1995 Rugby World Cup scenes. Following his retirement from playing, Hendricks moved into coaching and served as head coach of Wesbank Rugby Club in Malmesbury, where he led the team to multiple strong finishes in the Boland Super League. His involvement in Invictus highlighted the intersection of South African rugby history and film, bringing attention to the sport's role in national unity.

Early life

McNeil Hendricks was born on 10 July 1973 in Malmesbury, South Africa.

Rugby career

Provincial career

McNeil Hendricks, known by the nickname "Maccie", played as a wing during his provincial rugby career in South Africa. He began his provincial career with the Boland Cavaliers in 1994 and made his Currie Cup debut for the team in 1996. During his time with Boland from 1994 to 1998, he made 35 appearances and scored 77 points. In 1997, he impressed under coach Nick Mallett at Boland. He also played for Griquas during his career. Hendricks then joined the Blue Bulls in 1999, where he remained until 2002, accumulating 37 appearances and 110 points. In 2003, he played for the Free State Cheetahs, making 16 appearances and scoring 35 points. His final provincial season came in 2004 with Western Province, where he made 3 appearances. His provincial career was ultimately affected by increasing competition from younger players and injuries, resulting in his retirement following the 2004 season. He earned selection to the Springboks in 1998 while playing for Boland.

Super Rugby career

McNeil Hendricks played for the Bulls in the Super 12 competition (the predecessor to Super Rugby) from 1998 to 2002, accumulating 10 appearances and 5 points during this span. His involvement began in 1998 when he moved to the Bulls after time with Boland, though limited opportunities meant his talents were not always fully utilized amid the team's challenges in the competition's early era. Hendricks made a notable comeback to Super 12 action in 2001, earning selection in the starting lineup on the wing for the Bulls' opening match against the Sharks in Durban. This return followed a period of strong provincial performances that helped him regain his barnstorming style. His Super 12 tenure with the Bulls overlapped with his provincial commitments to the Blue Bulls. By 2002, he occasionally featured for the Bulls A team as he struggled to secure a consistent starting role. Overall, Hendricks' contributions in Super 12 remained modest in terms of game time and scoring output.

International career

Hendricks earned one cap for the Emerging Springboks in 1997. Selected for the senior South Africa team by coach Nick Mallett, he went on to win two caps for the Springboks in 1998, scoring one try for a total of five points. His first test appearance came on 20 June 1998 against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where he entered as a replacement during a 33–0 victory. In his second and final cap a week later, on 27 June 1998 against Wales at the same venue, he again came off the bench as a replacement and scored a try in a commanding 96–13 win.

Acting career

Hendricks portrayed Springbok Chester Williams in the 2009 film Invictus, selected personally by Williams himself due to their similar backgrounds and playing styles. He worked closely with Williams for three months on the project, re-enacting key scenes from the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Later life

After retiring from playing, Hendricks became head coach of Wesbank Rugby Club in Malmesbury, where he led the team to three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Boland Super League (as of 2010).
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