Jordan Hendrikse has opened up on his ambitions for a Springbok call-up as well as the values that he would like to define him away from the game.
Hendrikse has been among the in-form flyhalves in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, having made a successful return to the field after undergoing ankle surgery last year.
The 20-year-old’s return coincided with the Lions turning their form around in the URC, winning four of their last six games, including victories over Edinburgh and Munster.
The former Junior Springbok has scored 84 points this season, putting him just outside the top-five point-scorers list in the URC for 2021-22.
With Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies both struggling for game time due to injuries, the likes of Hendrikse have been looked at as potential options for the upcoming three-Test series against Wales, should the senior flyhalves not return to full match fitness in time.
However, Hendrikse, who became the latest SA star to join the lucrative Roc Nation Sports fold in February, joining the likes of Bok captain Siya Kolisi and fullback Aphelele Fassi, said he is focused on making sure his consistency is there before he plays for the Springboks.
“People speak about that but, for me, it is all about being patient,” said Hendrikse. “I feel like when the time is right, it will happen. It’s the same as me making my debut for the Lions; you feel like you never know until you know it happens.
“To get there, you have to be performing week in and week out, being consistent and getting better in each game. Just being a perfect type of player, even if people say there is no such thing as perfect. Having a perfect performance every weekend. Of course, mistakes will happen, but it is about keeping that minimal.
“The goal is in the next couple of years to be in that system in set-up. But you can never really put a time on that because, at the end of the day, anything can happen. Whether it is injuries or you could get a call-up today or tomorrow. There is no time limit on that. I am still very young, so I don’t want to put a time limit on it.
“But it is something I have in my mind, to play in the green and gold. The biggest thing now is to be consistent, especially coming back from injury. I want to put in those consistent performances every week.”
The younger brother of Sharks scrumhalf Jaden has been in the spotlight as an up-and-coming star since his days playing for Glenwood High School in Durban.
While his potential as a player has been the focus of many an article, Hendrikse said he prefers not to be put on any sort of pedestal.
“I am big on honesty, just being this honest and respectful person and putting myself out there. I want to be as good a Jordan as I can be, that people actually see and learn from it. I want them to say, ‘Jordan isn’t just the Jordan that you see on TV or in newspapers. He is actually a genuine person that you can speak to or approach’.
“That’s one of my big values besides working hard and determination – those big words that everybody uses – is just to be a genuine person that people can approach. Many people think the players they see playing on TV aren’t approachable. At the end of the day, I want to be a normal person away from the sport, where the spotlight is, not having this pedestal that you sit on.”
Photo: Ryan Hiscott/INPHO/Shutterstock
