Birth of a Rugby Legend
Note: The interview was conducted and article written in February 2013.Twelve-year-old Bryan Habana stood in Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, under clear blue skies, cheering his lungs out among the crowd of green and gold supporters. The Springboks - South Africa’s rugby union team - was facing a brutal battle against the favoured New Zealand All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup finals.
The year was 1995, five years after the South African apartheid ended. Both white and black faces mingled in the stands. President Nelson Mandela graced the stadium, wearing a Springboks jersey.
After 87 tense minutes, Springboks flyhalf Joel Stransky booted the ball and it sailed over the H-post, sealing victory for the South African team. The stadium exploded in cheers. In a moment of joy, Nelson Mandela threw his arms around Springbok captain Francois Pienaar - a white Afrikaner - and the South African tumultuous history of colonial strife seemed to melt into a thing of the past.
Habana, now a 29-year-old Springbok winger, traces his passion for rugby to that historic day. “The way the spirit of rugby and in general sport gripped a very new democracy that was South Africa was absolutely amazing,” he says.
The victory meant more to the country than just a championship. Perhaps as a testament to the healing power of sport, it symbolised the unity of a weary country after so much hurt.
The birth of a sporting hero
12 years after Joel Stransky’s drop kick won the World Cup for post-apartheid South Africa, Habana’s dreams came full circle. In the 2007 World Cup, he played an integral role in the Springboks team that defeated England in the finals.
Born in 12 June 1983, Bryan Gary Habana was named after the former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey by his father Bernie, a rugby and soccer enthusiast. In 1995, Bernie brought his son on a life-changing road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the Rugby World Cup, which was hosted by South Africa that year.
Father and son watched the opening game of the tournament between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, witnessed the birth of a new sports hero Chester Williams during the quarterfinals at Ellis Park against Samoa, and travelled down to Durban to watch the rain-drenched semifinal against France. But it was at the final, where 65 000 people celebrated South Africa’s victory, that Habana’s future as a rugby star was sealed.
“I played soccer, cricket and did athletics at primary school. After experiencing the World Cup and being inspired by the team that won it, when I went to King Edward VII School the following year, rugby was all I wanted to play!” he says.
Habana played outside center and scrumhalf in provincial and age group rugby, before coaches discovered his talent at the wing. The speedster made his international debut for the Springboks in 2004 when he was merely 21, coming on as a reserve to score a try against the then-world champions England.
During the 2007 World Cup, Habana became an international rugby superstar, his eight tries equalling the record set by legendary All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu in 1999. He was awarded the International Rugby Board (IRB) Player of the Year Award.
The Springboks leading try scorer has won 83 caps since 2004 and is a three-time recipient of the South African Rugby Player of the Year award.
Dubbed as the fastest winger in rugby, Habana has famously raced a cheetah for charity.
“I last got timed at the 10-metre [sprint] when I matriculated from high school back in 2000. From what I can remember, my quickest time back then was 10.98 [seconds]. But I think I got a bit quicker after school…” he says.
What keeps him going?
Like every other sporting greats, Habana has encountered a slump in performance since he dazzled the world with his ability in 2007. For a period, he found himself unable to score.
However, the try machine came firing back in 2012, displaying top-notch performances and incredible tries. He ended the year with a bang, as he received the International Rugby Players Association (IRPA) Try of the Year for his gutsy try against the All Blacks during the inaugural Rugby Championship.
A set move from the Springboks’ lineout sent Habana punching through the All Blacks defense. As his opponent Julian Savea approached, he chipped the ball over Savea’s head and chased it over the try line.
“Scoring that try was absolutely amazing…Scoring it against the All Blacks in New Zealand made it even more special,” Habana says.
“It is always a huge honour to be rewarded for your hard work and winning the IRPA try of the year was really special after many people believed that I was done and not the same player who had won the IRB Player of the Year in 2007,” he adds.
The unwavering support of Habana’s coaches, fellow players and family played a huge part in getting him back on track, but faith was the engine that spurred him on.
“I do not think that there has been a professional sportsman that has not had any lows in their career...Sometimes it’s about never doubting your ability, it’s about continually seeking ways to improve and in some instances its simply going back to the basics!” he says.
Dealing with injuries
The game of rugby is always plagued with injuries, and Habana is no stranger to that. Besides the usual scrapes and bruises, he has suffered fractured fingers, knee ligament tears, broken hand and a rolled ankle.
“Injuries are unfortunately part and parcel of every sport and are something that can happen to anyone at any time. As a professional athlete you try your best to condition your body to the best state in order to avoid injury,” Habana says.
A major knee affliction in 2012 kept him out of the pitch for the November test matches that year. However, he chose to take the unfortunate turn of events in a positive light.
“Because the rugby calendar is so intense, I had never had a complete two month break from rugby since starting out in 2003. So my injury at the end of last year [2012] really gave my body a chance to fully recover,” Habana says.
“It allowed me to mentally refresh myself and it allowed me to totally break away from the game and in so doing make sure that the desire to still make a success of rugby was there,” he adds.
In such a physically gruelling sport, Habana believes that ample rest is the most important aspect of recovery to ensure player longevity.
“The level, standard and amount of rugby currently being played is incredibly high and therefore rest periods for international players have become extremely important to manage, to make sure that the players are not run into the ground each and every year,” he says.
Just your Average guy
Before anyone starts putting Habana on a pedestal, he would like people to know that he is just an average guy. Contrary to stereotypes of Heineken-swilling, rowdy rugby players, Habana can be found at the golf course enjoying a quiet game when he’s not at practice.
“I would have loved to be a professional golf player but alas my golfing skills are very average!” he says.
The 1.8-metre-tall, 96 kilograms man who makes bone-crunching tackles in a rugby game and mows through opponents likes to sing “I believe I can fly” in the shower and watches “The Notebook” over and over again with the sort of tenderness reserved for teenage first loves.
Religion is the greatest influence in Habana’s life. “I believe that I have been blessed with an amazing talent from God to do something that I absolutely love each and every day of my life and for that I am truly grateful!” he says.
To Habana, rugby means more than just a sport and career. From the boy who witnessed history in 1995 to the rugby superstar in 2013, he counts himself lucky to be able to live out his dream.
“It is a huge privilege and honour to be professional sportsman and hopefully in using my talents to the best of my ability...I have allowed people to dream about making a difference!” he says.
