Toulon - French club Toulon have opted out of a deal to sign Springbok wing Cornal Hendricks.
The 28-year-old had been ruled out of rugby at the beginning of last season with a heart condition soon after signing with the Stormers in Super Rugby.
He never played a game for the Cape Town-based franchise, and when a routine SA Rugby test revealed his condition, he was forced into early retirement.
Hendricks spent the whole of 2016 out of the game but by the end of the year had found a second medical opinion that, according to his agent and legal team, had cleared him to play again.
He was heavily linked with Toulon and made the trip to France towards the end of 2016 where he was set to have a medical at the club.
At the time, Hendricks and his team seemed confident of securing a deal, but it has not worked out according to plan despite him having passed that medical.
"The player passed a series of medical and physical tests over the last three weeks, but it was decided, for the good of the player in the first place, that he could not join the club," Toulon said in a statement without giving further details.
Hendricks played for the Cheetahs in Super Rugby and was previously a stand-out for South Africa's sevens team, winning Commonwealth gold in Glasgow in 2014.
He has won 12 caps for the Springboks since making his debut in 2014.