Bryan Habana

At 41 years old, Bryan Habana has this physical status:

Bryan Gary Habana OIS (born 12 June 1983) is a South African former rugby union player who played as a wing.

He most recently played for Toulon in the French Top 14 competition and for the South Africa national team (the Springboks).

He was voted one of the best Rugby Union players in history by South Africa's 2007 Rugby World Cup and was one of the tournament's best players, with eight tries equaling the single-tournament record set by Jonah Lomu in 1999.

He was named the 2007 IRB Player of the Year.

He tied Lomu's World Cup record of 15 tries. He is in second place among all time test attempt scorers, with a total of 67 attempts behind only Daisuke Ohata.

Personal life

Habana married Janine Viljoen, his longtime girlfriend, at Sorex Estate's chapel in Centurion on September 20.

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Career

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

In provincial and age group rugby, he played outside center and scrumhalf, but a drastic change was made when he was moved to the wing. In the 2003-2004 World Sevens Series, he was a member of the South African Sevens team. He made his Currie Cup debut with the Golden Lions in 2004, and the country's Most Promising Player of the Year was named. He made his Test debut against England at Twickenham, aged 21 in November. Habana returned as a reserve to score a try against the 2011 World Cup winners despite the fact that the game was lost 32–16. Habana was recalled in the starting lineup for the 45-10 victory over Scotland over Murrayfield the following week. In that year's final match against Argentina in Buenos Aires, he was selected in the same position, on the left wing, and he will return to the United States next week.

He made the move to the Blue Bulls in 2005. Habana was, as expected, included in the 2005 Springboks squad after the 2005 Super 12 seasons. In South Africa's first match of 2005 against Uruguay, who defeated the Springboks 134–3, Habana scored two tries on the left wing. South Africa later hosted France for a two test series, drawing the first 30-all and winning the second 27–13, with Habana scoring two goals in both games. Habana participated in two tests against Australia, the first, a loss at Telstra Stadium, followed by a 33–20 victory at Ellis Park, with Habana scoring in the second Test.

Habana made his Tri Nations debut against the Wallabies at the Bulls' home of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 30th. South Africa defeated the team 22–16. South Africa also won the match against the All Blacks at Newlands, defeating them in the subsequent match. Habana won by two points in their second match against Australia in Perth. The All Blacks defeated the New Zealanders by a dramatic 31–27 victory at Carisbrook in the final match of the season. Though South Africa did not win the series, Habana had established himself on the international stage, finishing as the tournament's joint top try-scorer with Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko of New Zealand. The Blue Bulls made it to the final of the Currie Cup, beating the Free State Cheetahs at home. The Cheetahs, who were marginally underdogs in the final, dominated the final. Habana gained caps for South Africa against Argentina, Wales, and France in November of this year, scoring two goals in the Welsh match. Habana was selected by SA Rugby as the 2005 South Africa Player of the Year in 2005 and 2005.

The Springboks had a rough year in 2006, losing four of their six tri nations tournaments. Habana lost to France in the mid-year test and lost to Ireland 32–15, the first time in a Springbok shirt, when Habana was averted to center. He had a try. They then lost to England in the first test, but regained revenge in the second test.

According to De Wildt officials, Habana competed against a cheetah in a 100-meter run in April 2007 to help raise concerns of the imminent danger of the cheetah being listed as an endangered species. He lost because cheetahs can run 70 mph rather than 22 mph.

Habana's most memorable play of the 2007 Super 14 season was his last-minute appearance in the final, allowing flyhalf Derick Hougaard to make a quick conversion and giving the Bulls a huge 20–19 victory over the Sharks. After dangerously facing fullback Percy Montgomery on the air in the first minutes of the game, it was particularly difficult for Sharks fans to decide if Habana should have even been on the field. Habana later admitted in an interview that, although not threatening to hurt Montgomery, he should have been cleared of the lawsuit.

Habana was chosen on the wing for the Springboks' first game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he scored four tries in Paris's 59–7 victory over Samoa. He scored two tries against the United States in Montpellier, South Africa's final group game. In the semifinals, he scored two attempts against Argentina, tying Jonah Lomu's record of 8 tries in one World Cup. He chipped the defensive line, outran the cover defense, reassembled the ball, and scored near the corner flag for his first try. After Argentina had gone blindside off a scrum, running almost the entire field to dot the ball down under the posts, he intercepted the ball for the second time. He was a member of the world cup team that contributed to England's demise in the 2007 final. At the 2007 IRB Awards, Habana was named IRB Player of the Year Award, which was held in Paris on October 21.

The 2008 season wasn't Habana's best. Despite keeping his position on the Springboks, he didn't make a difference as he did in the previous year. In the 42-6-0 victory, he only scored two tries in the entire year, one against the All Blacks in 19–8 loss and one against England in the 42–6 victory. The team struggled to adjust to new coach Peter de Villiers' incoherent style for a large game, and the Springbok backline struggled to find offensive impetus throughout the season. The Springboks had a bad year, winning only two of their six games in the 2008 Tri Nations, but they came back at the end of the year to win all of their Tour Matches against Wales, Scotland, and England.

Habana had a mixed super 14 season. He was quiet on attack but was a rock on defense, returning to his attacking form and ending the season's second top try scorer with 8 tries. As a result of this, the Blue Bulls regained their position as Champions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Habana had regarded the Lions tour as one of his career's best performances, perhaps larger than the World Cup. In a close first test, the South Africans defeated the Lions 26–21, but Habana failed to show the same intensity as he had displayed in the Super 14. With 20 minutes to go, the Lions were more energized and led 19–8 before Habana scored one of his most memorable goals in the second test. After his Bulls colleague Morné Steyn kicked a last gasp penalty from 53 meters (58 yd), the Springboks were able to win. Habana was beaten for the final test, a match that South Africa would rather forget because they lost 28–9, but with a series win, they gained revenge after losing the 1997 tour.

The Tri-Nations followed the Lions series. In the first game, New Zealand defeated Australia 22–16, so the pressure was on South Africa to win over the All Blacks in their opener at Bloemfontein. They won by 28–19 on a 28–19 victory. The Following week, they met the All Blacks in Durban, South Africa. This was Habana's 50th test, and South Africa defeated 31-19 with Morné Steyn scoring all 31 points. This was the first time they'd defeated the All Blacks in successive games at home in 33 years (South Africa won 3 out of four home tests against New Zealand in 1976). In Cape Town next week, they would face Australia. South Africa defeated South Africa by 29-17 margins. For the first time since 2005, the Thunderbirds had won all of their home games in the tournament, putting them on a collision course with their first championship victory since 2004. If South Africa wins the 2009 Tri-Nations Cup, it will be Habana's first tournament victory, indicating he has won every tournament in professional southern hemisphere rugby. South Africa defeated the Wallabies in their first away game and their 4th match out of four in the Tri Nations, winning by 32–25 over Perth. Habana scored 2 of the four tries. A week later, the Springboks will face the Wallabies in Brisbane, but this time they were defeated 21–6. This put New Zealand in jeopardy of winning the tournament. Habana was productive on Lachie Turner's try-saving tackle, but he was forced to leave early in half because of an injury. However, he was still fit for the visit to New Zealand after the Springboks claimed victory by 32–29, winning their first Tri Nations title since 2004. This was also Habana's first appearance in the tournament. Habana had the all-time try-scoring record to beat even though he was five tries away from winning it at the end of the 2009 season.

Habana's 'Final Challenge' against New Zealand played on the left wing for the Barbarians on December 5th. The Barbarians defeated the All Blacks on 3 attempts, the first time a match in the Northern hemisphere had been lost in 2 years.

Habana began to play for Western Province and the Stormers in 2009, a trip that started in 2009. Habana competed in a losing Super Rugby final for Western Province in 2010 and a winning Currie Cup final in 2012.

Habana was chosen for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and played in the first game against Wales, which South Africa beat Wales 17-16 thanks to tries from François Steyn and Hougaard. They were then victorious against Fiji and Namibia before beating Samoa 3-2 for their ninth minute. South Africa was then knocked out of the tournament by Australia in the quarter-finals by 11–9.

In The Rugby Championship against Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, Habana conducted two experiments against England in the June internationals and 5 tests. Against the All Blacks, he had a hat trick of tries against Australia as well as attempts both indoors and out.

Habana revealed on January 11, 2013 that he would join Toulon, France, at the end of the 2013 Super Rugby season, on a three-year deal. In 2014 and the European Champions Cup in 2015, Toulon defeated Heineken Cup and Top 14 in 2014 and 2015.

Habana was chosen for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where he tied Jonah Lomu's record of 15 World Cup appearances against the United States in a hat-trick. South Africa defeated eventual champions New Zealand and then finished third after losing 20–18.

Habana was appointed vice-captain of South Africa in 2016 and his career effort totaled to 67.

Habana announced on April 24th, 2018 that he would have resigned from all rugby at the conclusion of his French Top 14 team Toulon's season.

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