Habana remains committed to SA
Habana remains committed to SA
You could forgive Bryan Habana for lacking motivation at the moment. World Cup, Tri-Nations, Super 14, Currie Cup winner, Lion tamer, former IRB player of the year – the Springbok winger simply has nothing left to prove.
It comes as a pleasant surprise, then, that his love for the game is stronger than ever when SA Times catches up with him in London, where he will play for the Barbarians on December 5.
“I get to travel all over the world, see amazing places, make lifelong friends and, on top of all of that, get paid,” he says with a beaming smile.
“I’m still living my dream and it’s absolutely phenomenal. I know how fortunate I am so motivation is not a problem for me. Until I stop enjoying playing rugby, I’m going to keep on doing the best I can.”
Fortunately for South African supporters Habana has a lot to look forward to over the next few months, starting with the honour of playing for a star-studded Barbarians team at Twickenham.
“There’s something really special about putting on that black and white jersey,” he says. “Because you are playing alongside players from all over the world you build up relationships you wouldn’t be able to normally. You find out what the northern hemisphere players like and dislike about the southern hemisphere. It enriches your knowledge, not only of the game, but of people’s lives. You learn about different cultures.”
Habana also relishes the freedom that comes with playing for a team that always wants to entertain.
“It’s great to be able to run the ball from your own 22 and know that, if things go wrong, you won’t lose your job,” he says with a chuckle. “Of course you want to win and when the whistle goes for the start of the game I will be all business but there’s a freedom that comes with playing for the Barbarians that is very appealing.”
After having the time of his life with the Barbarians, Habana will take a well-earned breather before charging into what will be a very busy 2010. A high-profile move from Pretoria to Cape Town to play for Western Province and the Stormers will give the winger an opportunity to help build a franchise that could rival his beloved Bulls.
“Moving to Cape Town wasn’t an easy decision because the last five years at the Bulls have been truly phenomenal,” Habana says.
“But hopefully everything that I have achieved I will be able to pass on to some young guys at Province and make a difference. We can really build something special and it’s really an exciting prospect. I can’t wait.”
Habana’s commitment to South African rugby goes beyond his own professional ambitions and personal happiness. A player who wholeheartedly supports the development of the sport in underprivileged communities, the 26-year-old is acutely aware of his responsibilities as a role model.
“To be able to see the difference it makes in little kids’ life when they meet you, it’s something you can’t put a pricetag on,” Habana explains.
“Seeing how a kid lights up, how they are enthralled in that moment, it’s something that melts your heart. Sometimes it isn’t easy when people come up to you and ask for an autograph, because you always have to have a smile on your face. You always have to pretend everything is going well. On the other hand that 20 seconds of your time is something that they might never forget. I understand that because I am still relatively young and I still have heroes. Every time I meet Nelson Mandela I feel like a five-year-old.”
With public adulation comes pressure to perform and Habana knows the Boks will have to deal with rabid expectation as the 2011 World Cup approaches. However, the winger believes South African rugby is in very safe hands at the moment.
“What Peter de Villiers has achieved over the last two years is just fantastic,” the winger says. “He could have come in last year and made wholesale changes but he has been able to create an amazing balance between experience and youth. It’s the kind of set-up where you don’t want to get injured because to get back into the team is so much more difficult because the guy that’s going to be there is going to be just as good if not better. The only reason that we are in that sort of great position is because of someone like Peter de Villiers. There is an atmosphere in the team where all the players are really happy with each other and that’s why we’ve been so successful.”
Habana knows full well that replicating the astonishing success of 2009 will be difficult for the Boks and the wing stresses the importance of building a strong squad by blooding new players as the team heads towards the World Cup.
“If you look at the amount of talent at under 19 level you have to say that South African rugby is in great shape,” he says. “It is important that senior players like myself pass on knowledge to youngsters who could play an important role in the Springbok team in the future.”
As for his own future in the green and gold, Habana is hell-bent on becoming an even better player.
“I can still remember running out in 2004 with that green jersey for the first time and just how incredible it was,” he says. “One thing Jake White carried on hammering into us was that you have to leave the jersey in a better state then you’ve received it and I don’t think that I’ve done that yet. I’ve got a lot more to achieve.”