Bryan Habana
Bryan Habana in 2007
Personal information
Date of birth	June 12, 1983 (1983-06-12) (age 25)
Place of birth	Benoni, Gauteng
Height	1.79 m (5.9 ft)
Weight	90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
Nickname	Chris Stockley, Mister Kardinaal, Jet Shoes,Big Dong, Big Willy Bryan, Habernero[1], Dash[2]
School	King Edward VIII School
College	Rand Afrikaans University
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Wing
Provincial/State sides		Caps	(points)
2005- 2004-2005	Blue Bulls Golden Lions	6 21	(10) [2t] (95) [19t]
Super Rugby
2005-	Bulls	40	(120) [24t]
National team(s)
2004-	South Africa	39	(155) [31t]

Bryan Gary Habana (born June 12, 1983(1983-06-12)^[1] in Benoni, Transvaal) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup, the Bulls in Super 14, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup champion 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. is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Benoni (Hebrew: בֶּןאוֹנִי) is a city on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For other King Edward VII Schools, see King Edward VII School. ... Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was founded as an Afrikaans language university in 1967 with just over 700 registered students. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... A normal rugby union team formation illustrating each of the positions and their respective numbers. ... A normal rugby union team formation illustrating each of the positions and their respective numbers. ... A cap is an appearance for a select team, such as a school, county or international team in sports. ... The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons named Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by the clubs Afrikaans name Die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. ... (This article is about the South African rugby team. ... The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Western Australia), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are based in... Official website http://www. ... The following is a list of international rugby union teams: // The British and Irish Lions are a separate case, being a combination of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Benoni may refer to: In biblical names: Benoni or Ben Oni, son of my sorrow, or pain In Jewish philosophy: Benoni, the intermediate one; see Tanya In chess openings: Benoni Defense Benoni, Taimanov variation Franco-Benoni In geography: Benoni, Gauteng, a city on the East Rand in South Africa the... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... A normal rugby union team formation illustrating each of the positions and their respective numbers. ... The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons named Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by the clubs Afrikaans name Die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. ... For the cricket competition originally known as the Currie Cup, see SuperSport Series. ... Official website http://www. ... The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Western Australia), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are based in... The 2007 Rugby World Cup is the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union world championship inaugurated in 1987. ... First international South Africa 4 - 0 British Isles (30 July 1891) Largest win South Africa  134 - 3  Uruguay (11 June 2005) Worst defeat  England 53 - 3 South Africa  (23rd November, 2002) World Cup Appearances 4 (First in 1995) Best result Champions, 1995 and 2007 Springboks redirects here. ... Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM (born May 12, 1975) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who has played 73 times (63 caps) as an All Black after debuting in 1994. ... The IRB International Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year. ...

Named after former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey,^[3] 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 is noted for his speed and has been timed as one of the fastest wingers in South African rugby; as proven when he famously raced a cheetah for charity. He can run 10.12 seconds over the 100m distance, as has been confirmed by the S.A.R.U. It is rather his phenomenal acceleration, than top-speed which makes him a formidable player, and it is widely agreed that given five yards of space he is unstoppable. MUFC redirects here. ... Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957 in Chester-le-Street, County Durham) is an English football manager and former player. ... Gary Richard Bailey (born August 9, 1958 in Ipswich, England) was an English football player, and the son of the Ipswich Town goalkeeper Roy Bailey. ... First international (also the worlds first) Scotland 4–1 England (27 March 1871) Largest win England 134–0 Romania (17 November 2001) Worst defeat Australia 76–0 England (6 June 1998) World Cup Appearances 6 (First in 1987) Best result Champions, 2003 The England national rugby union team represents... Twickenham Stadium (usually known as just Twickenham or Twickers[1]) is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ...

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."^[4] Habana became an international rugby superstar in his own right with his record 8 tries in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, including some brilliant individual efforts. The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Western Australia), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are based in...

Career

Early career

It is also claimed by the "great" Sami Dowling that Habana can not run anywhere near sub 11 for the 100m's. That is most definitely untrue. Habana, developed by the Golden Lions and educated at King Edward VII School and Rand Afrikaans University (now a part of the University of Johannesburg), made his first senior international appearances as a member of the South African Sevens side in the 2003-04 World Sevens Series. He made his Currie Cup debut for the Lions in 2004, doing well enough to be voted the country's most promising player that year. That November, he made his Test debut against England at Twickenham as a 21-year-old. Though the game was lost 32-16, Habana came on as a reserve to score a try on debut against the then world champions. The following week Habana was moved into the starting line-up, where he contributed two tries to the 45-10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield. The next week, he was selected in the same position, on the left wing, in that year's final match against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Although he did not score any tries in the Argentina game, his current record stood at three tries from three tests. (This article is about the South African rugby team. ... For other King Edward VII Schools, see King Edward VII School. ... Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was founded as an Afrikaans language university in 1967 with just over 700 registered students. ... The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the former campuses of the Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand, and some campuses of Vista University. ... The South African national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. ... The World Sevens Series is an international rugby union sevens series of tournaments run by the International Rugby Board. ... First international (also the worlds first)  Scotland 4 - 1 England  (27 March 1871) Largest win  Scotland 100 - 8 Japan  (13 November 2004) Worst defeat  Scotland 10 - 68 South Africa  (6 December 1997) World Cup Appearances 6 (First in 1987) Best result Semi-finals, 1991 The Scotland national rugby union... Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium in the capital of , Edinburgh, and is the home of Scottish Rugby Union. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...

Bulls

In 2005, he moved to the Blue Bulls. Following the 2005 Super 12 season, Habana was, as expected, included in the 2005 Springboks squad. He played on the left wing in South Africa's opening match of 2005 against Uruguay, who the Springboks defeated 134-3, with Habana scoring two tries. South Africa then hosted France for a two test series; drawing the first 30-all, and winning the second 27-13, with Habana, scoring two tries in both games. In the lead-up to the 2005 Tri Nations, Habana played in two tests against Australia, the first, a loss at Telstra Stadium, and then a 33-20 win at home at Ellis Park, with Habana scoring in the second Test. The 2005 season of the Super 12 rugby union competition began on 25 February 2005 and ended on 28 May with the Canterbury-based Crusaders winning their fifth Super Rugby title against the New South Wales-based Waratahs. ... The 2005 Tri Nations Series, an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was the tenth in the series. ... This page is for Telstra Stadium, Sydney. ... Ellis Park can refer to two different sporting venues: A stadium used for rugby and football (soccer) in Johannesburg, South Africa: Ellis Park A thoroughbred horse race track in Henderson, Kentucky, USA: Ellis Park This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share...

Habana made his Tri Nations debut on July 30 against the Wallabies at the Bulls' home of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. South Africa won the match 22-16. The subsequent match against the All Blacks at Newlands was also a win for South Africa. In the second match against Australia in Perth, Habana scored two tries in the 22-19 win. The All Blacks won the last match of the series, a thrilling 31-27 win for the New Zealanders at Carisbrook. Although South Africa did not win the series, Habana had established himself on the international stage, finishing as the tournament's joint highest try-scorer with New Zealands' Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. In the Currie Cup, the Blue Bulls made it to the final, which was played at home at Loftus Versfeld, against the Free State Cheetahs. The Cheetahs, somewhat underdogs, won the final. In November of that year, Habana earned caps for South Africa against Argentina, Wales and France, scoring two tries in the Welsh match. Habana was named to the five-man shortlist for 2005 IRB World Player of the Year, and was also selected by SA Rugby as 2005 South Africa Player of the Year in 2005. The Tri Nations Series is an annual international Rugby Union series held between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Pretoria, South Africa. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country Province Established 1855 Area  - Total 1,644 km² (634. ... First international Australia 3 - 22 New Zealand (15 August 1903) Largest win New Zealand 145 - 17 Japan (4 June 1995) Worst defeat Australia 28 - 7 New Zealand (28 August 1999) World Cup Appearances 6 (First in 1987) Best result Champions, 1987 All Black redirects here. ... A Stormers Super 14 rugby match at Newlands. ... Location of Perth within Australia This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Carisbrooke. ... Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player. ... Josevata Taliga Joe Rokocoko (IPA: , born 6 June 1983 in Nadi, Fiji) is a professional New Zealand rugby union player. ... The Free State Cheetahs (formerly the Orange Free State), for sponsorship reasons named Vodacom Free State Cheetahs, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. ... First international  England 30 – 0 Wales  (19 February 1881) Largest win  Japan 0 – 98 Wales  (26 November 2004) Worst defeat  South Africa 96 – 13 Wales  (27 June 1998) World Cup Appearances 6/6 (First in 1987) Best result Third 1987 The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international... The IRB logo. ... The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board. ...

In April 2007 Habana competed against a cheetah in a 100-meter race to help raise awareness of the imminent danger of the cheetah being classified as an endangered species, according to De Wildt officials. ^[5]

2007 Super 14

Habana's most dramatic act of the 2007 Super 14 season was his last minute try in the final, enabling flyhalf Derick Hougaard to make an easy conversion and giving the Bulls a dramatic 20-19 victory over the Sharks. The try was especially hard to take for Sharks fans as it is debatable if Habana should have even been on the field after dangerously tackling Fullback Percy Montgomery in the air, in the opening minutes of the game. Habana later admitted in an interview that despite not intending to cause Montgomery harm, he should have been sent off for the challenge.

2007 World Cup

Habana was selected on the wing for the Springboks first game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he scored four tries in the 59-7 win over Samoa in Paris. He also scored two tries against Argentina in the semifinal, equalling Jonah Lomu's record of 8 tries in one World Cup. He was a part of the world cup winning side contributing to the defeat of England in the 2007 final. Habana was awarded the IRB Player of the Year Award at the 2007 IRB Awards, held in Paris on 21 October.^[6] The 2007 Rugby World Cup is the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union world championship inaugurated in 1987. ... Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM (born May 12, 1975) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who has played 73 times (63 caps) as an All Black after debuting in 1994. ... The IRB International Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year. ...

Although being arguably the fastest man in international rugby Bryan Habana was beaten by the pace and dazzling footwork of American Winger Takudzwa Ngwenya in what was recognized as the International Rugby Press Association's Try of the Year at the 2007 IRB Awards. Takudzwa Ngwenya (born 22 July 1985 in Zimbabwe) is a rugby union player who plays on the wing for the United States national rugby union team. ... These are the Awards that were Given out by the IRB from 2001 - 2006 : 2006 IRB International Player of the Year: Richie McCaw (New Zealand) IRB International Team of the Year: New Zealand IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry (New Zealand) IRB International U19 Player of the Year...

During the victory parade in Newland's stadium in Cape Town a wacky supporter tried to tackle Habana for the Webb Ellis Cup, Habana defended the cup and the supporter came off second best. Here's the video

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Bulls profile
• Habana on SARugby.com
• Bryan Habana at SARugby.co.za
• Byan Habana photos, videos & statistics
• A whole load of Bryan Habana videos on Rugbydump.com

Awards
Preceded by Richie McCaw	IRB International Player of the Year 2007	Incumbent