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Bryan Habana

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Bryan Habana
Habana speaking at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards in 2024
Birth nameBryan Gary Habana
Date of birth (1983-06-12) 12 June 1983 (age 41)
Place of birthJohannesburg, South Africa
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
SchoolKing Edward VII School
UniversityRand Afrikaans University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing / Outside Centre
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–2018 Toulon 66 (115)
Correct as of 18 June 2017
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2003–2004 Golden Lions 21 (85)
2005–2009 Blue Bulls 14 (45)
2010–2013 Western Province 8 (10)
Correct as of 16 August 2015
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2005–2009 Bulls 61 (185)
2010–2013 Stormers 57 (95)
Correct as of 16 August 2015
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2004 South Africa Under-21 3 (15)
2004, 2016 South Africa Sevens 4 (15)
2004–2016 South Africa (test) 124 (335)
2007 South Africa (tour) 2 (0)
2014 Springbok XV 2 (5)
Correct as of 19 November 2016
Medal record
Men's Rugby union
Representing  South Africa
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2007 France Squad
Bronze medal – third place 2015 England Squad

Bryan Gary Habana OIS (born 12 June 1983)[2] is a South African former professional rugby union player. Playing mainly as a wing, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He played for the Golden Lions, the Blue Bulls and Western Province in South Africa, for the Bulls and the Stormers in Super Rugby, and for Toulon in the French Top 14, and won 124 caps for the South Africa national team.

Habana was part of the South Africa team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was one of the stars of the tournament, his eight tries equalling the record for a single tournament set by Jonah Lomu in 1999. He was subsequently named the 2007 IRB Player of the Year. During the 2015 Rugby World Cup Habana equalled Lomu's career record of 15 tries in World Cups. He is in second place among all time test try scorers, with 67 tries.

Career

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Early career

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Habana was born in Johannesburg and named Bryan Gary Habana, after former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey.[3] Habana was educated at King Edward VII School and Rand Afrikaans University (now known as the University of Johannesburg).

He played outside centre and scrum-half in provincial and age group rugby. He was a member of the South Africa Sevens side in the 2003–2004 World Sevens Series. He made his Currie Cup debut for the Golden Lions in 2004, doing well enough to be voted the country's most promising player that year.

That November, he made his Test debut against England at Twickenham aged 21. Though the game was lost 32–16, Habana came on as a reserve to score a try with his first touch of the ball against the then World Cup holders. The following week Habana was moved into the starting line-up, where he contributed two tries to the 45–10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield. The next week, he was selected in the same position, on the left wing, in that year's final match against Argentina in Buenos Aires.

2005–2007

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In 2005, he moved to the Blue Bulls. Following the 2005 Super 12 season, Habana was, as expected, included in the 2005 Springboks squad. He played on the left wing in South Africa's opening match of 2005 against Uruguay, whom the Springboks defeated 134–3, with Habana scoring two tries. South Africa then hosted France for a two test series; drawing the first 30-all, and winning the second 27–13, with Habana scoring two tries in both games. In the lead-up to the 2005 Tri Nations, Habana played in two tests against Australia, the first, a loss at Telstra Stadium, and then a 33–20 win at home at Ellis Park, with Habana scoring in the second Test.

Habana made his Tri Nations debut on 30 July against the Wallabies at the Bulls' home of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. South Africa won the match 22–16. The subsequent match against the All Blacks at Newlands was also a win for South Africa. In the second match against Australia in Perth, Habana scored two tries in the 22–19 win. The All Blacks won the last match of the series, a thrilling 31–27 win for the New Zealanders at Carisbrook. Although South Africa did not win the series, Habana had established himself on the international stage, finishing as the tournament's joint highest try-scorer with New Zealands' Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. In the Currie Cup, the Blue Bulls made it to the final, which was played at home at Loftus Versfeld, against the Free State Cheetahs. The Cheetahs, somewhat underdogs, won the final. In November of that year, Habana earned caps for South Africa against Argentina, Wales and France, scoring two tries in the Welsh match. Habana was named to the five-man shortlist for 2005 IRB World Player of the Year, and was also selected by SA Rugby as 2005 South Africa Player of the Year in 2005.

The Springboks endured a poor year in 2006 as they lost four of their six tri nations matches. They also lost to France in the midyear test and lost to Ireland 32–15 – a game in which Habana was averted to centre for the first time in a Springbok shirt. He scored a try. They then lost to England in the first test but gained revenge in the second test.

In April 2007 Habana competed against a cheetah in a 100-meter race to help raise awareness of the imminent danger of the cheetah being classified as an endangered species, according to De Wildt officials. He lost, because cheetahs can run 70 mph, instead of 22 mph.[4]

2007 Super 14

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Habana's most dramatic act of the 2007 Super 14 season was his last minute try in the final, enabling flyhalf Derick Hougaard to make an easy conversion and giving the Bulls a dramatic 20–19 victory over the Sharks. The try was especially hard to take for Sharks fans as it was debated if Habana should have even been on the field after dangerously tackling fullback Percy Montgomery in the air, in the opening minutes of the game. Habana later admitted in an interview that, despite not intending to cause Montgomery harm, he should have been sent off for the challenge.

2007 World Cup

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Habana was selected on the wing for the Springboks first game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he scored four tries in the 59–7 win over Samoa in Paris. In South Africa's final group game, he scored two tries against the US in Montpellier. He also scored two tries against Argentina in the semifinal, equalling Jonah Lomu's record of 8 tries in one World Cup. To score the first try, he chipped the defensive line, outran the cover defence, regathered the ball and scored near the corner flag. To score the second, he intercepted the ball after Argentina had gone blindside off a scrum, running nearly the length of the field to dot the ball down under the posts. He was a part of the world cup winning side contributing to the defeat of England in the 2007 final. Habana was awarded the IRB Player of the Year Award at the 2007 IRB Awards, held in Paris on 21 October.[5]

2008 season

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Habana in the Springbok change kit

The 2008 season wasn't Habana's greatest. Although he kept his spot in the Springboks side, he failed to make an impact like he did in the previous year. He only scored two tries in the whole year, one against the All Blacks in their 19–8 loss and one against England in the 42–6 win. The team struggled to adapt to new coach Peter de Villiers incoherent model for an expansive game, and thus the Springbok backline failed to find attacking impetus throughout that season. The Springboks had a poor year, only winning two of their six games in the 2008 Tri Nations but came back at the end of the year to win all of their Tour Matches against Wales, Scotland and England.

2009 Super 14

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Habana had a mixed super 14 season. He was quiet on attack, but was a rock on defence, later he found his attacking form and finished the season second top try scorer, with 8 tries. This led to the Blue Bulls regaining their title as Champions of the Southern Hemisphere.

2009 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa

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Habana had targeted the Lions tour as one of the biggest moments of his career, possibly bigger than the World Cup. In a close first test the South Africans defeated the Lions 26–21, but Habana failed to show the form he had displayed in the Super 14. In the second test, the Lions were more fired up and led 19–8 with 20 minutes to go before Habana burst through their defence and scored one of his most memorable tries. The Springboks went on to win after his Bulls teammate Morné Steyn kicked a last gasp penalty from 53 metres (58 yd). Habana was rested for the final test, a game which South Africa would rather forget as they lost 28–9 but with their series win they gained revenge after losing the 1997 tour.

2009 Tri Nations

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After the Lions series came the Tri-Nations. New Zealand beat Australia in the opening game 22–16, so the pressure was on South Africa to claim a victory over the All Blacks in their opener at Bloemfontein. They did this with a 28–19 win. They played the All Blacks at Durban the following week. This was Habana's 50th test and South Africa won 31–19 with Morné Steyn scoring all 31 points. This was the first time they'd beaten the All Blacks in successive games at home in 33 years (South Africa won 3 out of 4 home tests against New Zealand in 1976). The next week they took on Australia in Cape Town. South Africa once again came home with a 29–17 win. This meant they'd won all of their home games in the tournament for the first time since 2005 putting them on course for their first championship win since 2004. If South Africa take the 2009 Tri-Nations title it would be Habana's first tournament win meaning he would have won every tournament in professional southern hemisphere rugby. South Africa then won their first away-game and their 4th match out of 4 in the Tri Nations with a 32–25 victory over the Wallabies at Subiaco Oval in Perth. Habana scored 2 of the 4 tries. The Springboks would take on the Wallabies in Brisbane a week later, but this time they were outmuscled 21–6. This kept New Zealand in with a chance of claiming the tournament. Habana played well, making a try-saving tackle on Lachie Turner, but came off at halftime with an injury. He was however declared fit for the visit to New Zealand as the Springboks claimed victory by 32–29, to win their first Tri Nations title since 2004. It was also Habana's first success in that tournament.

Barbarians 2009

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On 5 December, Habana played on the left wing for the Barbarians for their 'Final Challenge' against New Zealand. He scored 3 tries as the Barbarians defeated the All Blacks, who had not lost a match in the Northern hemisphere in 2 years.[6]

Provincial Move

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In 2009 Habana moved to Cape Town, to play for Western Province and the Stormers starting in 2010. Habana played for the Stormers in a losing Super Rugby final in 2010, a losing Currie Cup final for Western Province in 2010 and a winning Currie Cup final in 2012.

2011 Rugby World Cup

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Habana was selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and played the first game which South Africa won against Wales 17-16 thanks to tries from François Steyn and Hougaard. They were then victorious against Fiji and Namibia before beating Samoa just 13–5 in which Habana scored a ninth minute try. South Africa however were then knocked out of the tournament by Australia in the quarter-finals by 11–9.

2012

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Habana played two tests against England in the June internationals and 5 tests in The Rugby Championship against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. He scored a hat trick of tries against Australia as well as tries, home and away, against the All Blacks

Toulon

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Habana with Toulon, vs Stade Français

On 11 January 2013, Habana confirmed he would move to French club Toulon at the end of the 2013 Super Rugby season, on a three-year contract.[7] Toulon won the Heineken Cup and Top 14 in 2014 and the European Champions Cup in 2015.

2015 Rugby World Cup

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Habana was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where he equalled Jonah Lomu's record of 15 World Cup tries with a hat-trick against the USA. South Africa lost 20–18 in the semi-finals to eventual champions New Zealand and subsequently finished third.

Habana was made vice-captain of South Africa in 2016, and brought his career try tally to 67.

Retirement

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On 24 April 2018, Habana announced his retirement from all rugby at the end of his French Top 14 club Toulon's season.[8]

International tries

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[9]

Try Opposing team Location Venue Competition Date Result Score
1  England London, England Twickenham Stadium 2004 end-of-year rugby union internationals 20 November 2004 Loss 32 – 16
2  Scotland Edinburgh, Scotland Murrayfield Stadium 2004 end-of-year rugby union internationals 27 November 2004 Win 10 – 45
3
4  Uruguay East London, South Africa Basil Kenyon Stadium 2005 June rugby union test 11 June 2005 Win 134 – 3
5
6  France Durban, South Africa Kings Park Stadium 2005 France rugby union tour of South Africa and Australia 18 June 2005 Draw 30 – 30
7
8  France Port Elizabeth, South Africa EPRU Stadium 2005 France rugby union tour of South Africa and Australia 25 June 2005 Win 27 – 13
9
10  Australia Johannesburg, South Africa Ellis Park Stadium 2005 June rugby union test 23 July 2005 Win 33 – 20
11  Australia Perth, Australia Subiaco Oval 2005 Tri Nations Series 20 August 2005 Win 19 – 22
12
13  New Zealand Dunedin, New Zealand Carisbrook 2005 Tri Nations Series 27 August 2005 Loss 31 – 27
14  Wales Cardiff, Wales Millennium Stadium 2005 end-of-year rugby union internationals 19 November 2005 Win 16 – 33
15
16  New Zealand Rustenburg, South Africa Royal Bafokeng Stadium 2006 Tri Nations Series 2 September 2006 Win 21 – 20
17  Ireland Dublin, Ireland Lansdowne Road 2006 South Africa rugby union tour of Ireland and England 11 November 2006 Loss 32 – 15
18  England Bloemfontein, South Africa Free State Stadium 2007 England rugby union tour of South Africa 26 May 2007 Win 58 – 10
19
20  England Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2007 England rugby union tour of South Africa 2 June 2007 Win 55 – 22
21
22  Scotland Edinburgh, Scotland Murrayfield Stadium 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches 25 August 2007 Win 3 – 27
23  Samoa Paris, France Parc des Princes 2007 Rugby World Cup 9 September 2007 Win 59 – 7
24
25
26
27  United States Montpellier, France Stade de la Mosson 2007 Rugby World Cup 30 September 2007 Win 64 – 15
28
29  Argentina Saint-Denis, France Stade de France 2007 Rugby World Cup 14 October 2007 Win 37 – 13
30
31  New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand WestPac Stadium 2008 Tri Nations Series 5 July 2008 Loss 19 – 8
32  England London, England Twickenham Stadium 2008 South Africa rugby union tour of Europe 22 November 2008 Win 8 – 42
33  British and Irish Lions Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa 27 June 2009 Win 28 – 25
34  Australia Perth, Australia Subiaco Oval 2009 Tri Nations Series 29 August 2009 Win 25 – 32
35
36  Italy Udine, Italy Stadio Friuli 2009 end-of-year rugby union internationals 21 November 2009 Win 10 – 32
37  Italy Witbank, South Africa Puma Rugby Stadium 2010 June rugby union tests 19 June 2010 Win 29 – 13
38  Italy East London, South Africa Buffalo City Stadium 2010 June rugby union tests 26 June 2010 Win 55 – 11
39  Namibia Auckland, New Zealand North Harbour Stadium 2011 Rugby World Cup 22 September 2011 Win 87 – 0
40  Samoa Auckland, New Zealand North Harbour Stadium 2011 Rugby World Cup 30 September 2011 Win 13 – 5
41  Argentina Cape Town, South Africa Newlands Stadium 2012 Rugby Championship 18 August 2012 Win 27 – 6
42  Australia Perth, Australia Patersons Stadium 2012 Rugby Championship 8 September 2012 Loss 26 – 19
43  New Zealand Dunedin, New Zealand Forsyth Barr Stadium 2012 Rugby Championship 15 September 2012 Loss 21 – 11
44  Australia Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2012 Rugby Championship 29 September 2012 Win 31 – 8
45
46
47  New Zealand Johannesburg, South Africa FNB Stadium 2012 Rugby Championship 6 October 2012 Loss 16 – 32
48  Italy Durban, South Africa Mr Price Kings Park 2013 June rugby union tests 8 June 2013 Win 44 – 10
49  Samoa Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2013 June rugby union tests 22 June 2013 Win 56 – 23
50
51  Argentina Johannesburg, South Africa FNB Stadium 2013 Rugby Championship 17 August 2013 Win 73 – 13
52  New Zealand Johannesburg, South Africa Coca-Cola Park 2013 Rugby Championship 5 October 2013 Loss 27 – 38
53
54  Wales Durban, South Africa Growthpoint Kings Park 2014 Wales rugby union tour of South Africa 14 June 2014 Win 38 – 16
55
56  Argentina Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2014 Rugby Championship 23 August 2014 Win 31 – 33
57  Italy Padua, Italy Stadio Euganeo 2014 end-of-year rugby union internationals 22 November 2014 Win 6 – 22
58  Argentina Durban, South Africa Growthpoint Kings Park 2015 Rugby Championship 8 August 2015 Loss 25 – 37
59  Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina José Amalfitani Stadium 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches 15 August 2015 Win 12 – 26
60  Samoa Birmingham, England Villa Park 2015 Rugby World Cup 26 September 2015 Win 46 – 6
61  Scotland Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England St. James' Park 2015 Rugby World Cup 3 October 2015 Win 34 – 16
62  United States London, England Olympic Stadium 2015 Rugby World Cup 7 October 2015 Win 64 – 0
63
64
65  Argentina Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2016 Rugby Championship 27 August 2016 Loss 26 – 24
66  New Zealand Christchurch, New Zealand AMI Stadium 2016 Rugby Championship 17 September 2016 Loss 41 – 13
67  Italy Florence, Italy Stadio Artemio Franchi 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals 19 November 2016 Loss 20 – 18

Honours

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Blue Bulls

Bulls

Western Province

Toulon

South Africa

South Africa Rugby Union Awards

  • SARU Player of the Year: 2005, 2007 and 2012
  • SuperSport Try of the year: 2007,[10] 2012

International Rugby Board awards

  • International Rugby Board Player of the Year: 2007
  • International Rugby Players' Association Try of the Year: 2012[11]
  • World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee Number 166: 2023

Personal life

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On 20 September 2009, Habana married his longtime girlfriend, Janine Viljoen.[12]

He was named after Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey by his Manchester United–loving parents.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Bryan Habana". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. ^ "bryanhabana.com: About". Archived from the original on 6 April 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  3. ^ Kimmage, Paul (14 October 2007). "Bryan Habana has a spring in his step". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  4. ^ Man Races World's Fastest Cat. CNN.com, 16 April 2007.
  5. ^ Habana named IRB Player of the Year. 22 October 2007.
  6. ^ Habana hails his fellow Barbarian Archived 2 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Toulon sign South Africa winger Bryan Habana from the Stormers". ESPN scrum. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  8. ^ "'One of the greatest': Springboks record tryscorer Bryan Habana retires from rugby". 25 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Bryan Gary Habana". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Habana crowned player of the year". mg.co.za. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  11. ^ "International Rugby Board - IRB Awards". Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Bok who just wants to give back". Independent Online. South Africa. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
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