Bryan Habana facts for kids
Habana speaking at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards in 2024
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| Birth name | Bryan Gary Habana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 12 June 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | King Edward VII School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Rand Afrikaans University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bryan Gary Habana OIS (born 12 June 1983) is a famous South African former professional rugby union player. He mainly played as a wing, which is like a fast attacker on the side of the field. Many people think he is one of the best rugby players ever!
He played for several teams in South Africa, including the Golden Lions, the Blue Bulls, and Western Province. He also played for the Bulls and the Stormers in a big competition called Super Rugby. Later, he moved to France to play for Toulon. Bryan Habana played an amazing 124 games for the South Africa national team, known as the Springboks.
Habana was a key player when South Africa won the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He was a true star of that tournament, scoring eight tries. This equalled the record for the most tries in one World Cup, set by the legendary Jonah Lomu in 1999. Because of his amazing performance, he was named the 2007 IRB Player of the Year. In the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Habana again equalled Lomu's record, this time for the most tries scored in World Cups across a career, with 15 tries. He is also second on the list of all-time test try scorers, with 67 tries.
Contents
Bryan Habana's Rugby Journey
Early Days and First Steps
Bryan Habana was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents loved football, so they named him after two famous Manchester United players, Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey. He went to King Edward VII School and later studied at Rand Afrikaans University.
When he was younger, he played different positions like outside centre and scrum-half. He even played for the South Africa Sevens team in 2003–2004. In 2004, he made his debut for the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup. He played so well that he was voted the country's most promising player that year!
In November 2004, when he was 21, Bryan played his first international game for the Springboks against England. Even though South Africa lost, Habana came on as a substitute and scored a try with his very first touch of the ball! The next week, he started the game and scored two tries against Scotland.
Rising to Stardom (2005-2007)
In 2005, Habana joined the Blue Bulls team. He continued to impress, scoring many tries for the Springboks. In a game against Uruguay, he scored two tries as South Africa won by a huge score. He also scored two tries in each of the two games against France.
He made his debut in the Tri Nations Series (a big tournament between South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) in July 2005. He ended up being one of the top try-scorers in that tournament. In November, he scored two more tries against Wales. Because of his amazing year, he was nominated for the IRB World Player of the Year award and was chosen as South Africa Player of the Year in 2005.
In 2007, Bryan Habana even had a fun race against a cheetah! He wanted to help people learn about how cheetahs are in danger. He lost the race, of course, because cheetahs are incredibly fast, running up to 70 miles per hour!
Winning the Super 14 and World Cup
The 2007 Super 14 season was very exciting for Habana. In the final game, he scored a try in the very last minute! This amazing try helped his team, the Bulls, win the championship 20–19 against the Sharks.
Later that year, Habana played in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In South Africa's first game, he scored four tries against Samoa! He also scored two tries against the USA. In the semi-final against Argentina, he scored two more tries, which meant he had scored 8 tries in total for the tournament. This equalled Jonah Lomu's record from 1999. The Springboks went on to win the World Cup final against England! After this incredible performance, Bryan Habana won the IRB International Player of the Year Award in October 2007.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2009, Habana helped the Blue Bulls win the Super 14 title again. He also played a big part in the Springboks winning the Lions tour against the British & Irish Lions. He scored a memorable try in the second test, helping South Africa win a very close game.
The Springboks also won the Tri Nations in 2009, which was Habana's first time winning that tournament. He even scored three tries for the Barbarians team against New Zealand in a special match in 2009.
In 2010, Habana moved to Cape Town to play for Western Province and the Stormers. He continued to play well, helping Western Province win the Currie Cup in 2012.
Moving to France
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In 2013, Bryan Habana decided to move to France to play for the club Toulon. He signed a three-year contract. While playing for Toulon, he helped them win the Heineken Cup (a big European competition) in 2014 and the European Champions Cup in 2015. They also won the French league, Top 14, in 2014.
2015 Rugby World Cup and Retirement
Habana was chosen for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In this tournament, he scored a hat-trick (three tries) against the USA. This meant he had now scored 15 tries in World Cups across his career, equalling Jonah Lomu's all-time record! South Africa finished third in that World Cup.
In 2016, Habana became the vice-captain of the Springboks. He brought his total number of international tries to an amazing 67.
On 24 April 2018, Bryan Habana announced that he would retire from all rugby at the end of Toulon's season. He left the sport as one of its true legends.
Awards and Achievements
Bryan Habana won many awards and titles throughout his career:
Team Honours
- Blue Bulls: Currie Cup: 2009
- Bulls: Super Rugby: 2007, 2009
- Western Province: Currie Cup: 2012
- Toulon: Heineken Cup European Champions/European Rugby Champions Cup: 2014, 2015; Top 14 French League: 2014
- South Africa: Rugby World Cup: 2007; Tri-Nations: 2009; Lions series winner: 2009
Individual Awards
- SARU Player of the Year: 2005, 2007 and 2012
- SuperSport Try of the year: 2007, 2012
- International Rugby Board Player of the Year: 2007
- International Rugby Players' Association Try of the Year: 2012
- World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee Number 166: 2023
Personal Life
Bryan Habana married his longtime girlfriend, Janine Viljoen, on 20 September 2009.
See also
In Spanish: Bryan Habana para niños
- List of international rugby union tries by Bryan Habana
Images for kids
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Habana speaking at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards in 2024
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Habana in the Springbok change kit
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Habana with Toulon, vs Stade Français
