Bryan Habana

Bryan Habana

Bryan Gary Habana (born (1983-06-12)12 June 1983 in Benoni, Gauteng Province) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Western Province in the Currie Cup, the Stormers in Super Rugby, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup champions Springboks. Habana was one of the stars of the World Cup, his eight tries equalling the record set by Jonah Lomu in 1999, and was named the 2007 IRB Player of the Year.

Named after former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey, he played outside centre and scrumhalf in provincial and age group rugby, but once he was moved to the wing a vast improvement was seen. Prior to his first year of Super Rugby he was selected for the Springboks, scoring a try with his first touch of the ball in test rugby in the end-of-season match against England at Twickenham in 2004. Habana won international acclaim for his championship-winning try in the 2007 Super 14 final, as one sportswriter put it: "It was one of the most amazing finales to a major game ever seen … Habana's swerving run was brilliant." Habana became an international rugby superstar in his own right with his record equaling 8 tries in the 2007 Rugby World Cup (the record set by Jonah Lomu in 1999).