Toulon sign Habana
11 Jan 2013
Springbok and Stormers wing Bryan Habana will join Toulon after Super Rugby.
The 29-year-old has agreed a three-year deal with the French Top 14 club. He will depart to France following the Stormers’ Super Rugby campaign.
‘I’d like to thank everyone at Western Province for their support throughout my stay in Cape Town,’ he said. ‘I’ve had three great seasons in the Cape thus far and I am looking forward to finishing off on a high before taking on a new challenge overseas.
‘It’s a wrench to leave my home, even if only for a short while, but the chance to test myself against different opposition in a new environment was difficult to turn down. Toulon has an incredible pedigree and some phenomenal players and working with everyone there is going to help me improve my game – and hopefully I can bring something new to the team there as well.’
WP CEO Rob Wagner commented: ‘As sad as it is knowing that Bryan will be leaving us after this year’s Super Rugby season, he does so with our blessing and we would like to thank him for his contribution to the Western Province and Stormers teams over the past three years.
‘We would like to wish Bryan and his wife everything of the best for their new chapter abroad, but we also look forward to him giving his all for the Stormers during the 2013 Super Rugby season.’
Habana added that he’d still make himself available for Springbok selection.
‘Playing for the Boks is a huge part of my life and I would never turn my back on my country,’ he said. ‘I’ll never stop giving 100% on the field for any team I play for and if the Springbok coach picks me, I’ll be there.’
Habana boasts 83 Test caps and is South Africa’s all-time top try-scorer with 47. He will join fellow South Africans Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, and Joe van Niekerk at Toulon.
63 Comments
Pages: « 1 [2] Show All
13 Jan 2013, 12:28 pm
@nama1-44:
Your comment re Frans Steyn is based on personal prejudice rather than detached rational assessment – it certainly isn’t fair or accurate and doesn’t take into account his fullback attributes: rock solid under the high ball, positional play is uncanny, ability to tackle, ability to effectively join the line, clearance kicks that are massive and drop goals from halfway. He also has incredible accuracy – at test rugby level where big match temperament is critical – for his long-distance place kicking. Need I say more – he is a proven force with the most comprehensive skill set for a fullback in the game – he’s got all of it – and his talents would not have been wasted and misused by any other country as they have in SA.
13 Jan 2013, 12:33 pm
@Transformation-46: admit to what? before bakkies played for toulon you had zero interest but now you are enamoured by “mercenary tendencies”
maybe one day you will be ‘enamoured’ by kiwi teams as it seems you are quick to change your principles like your broeks
13 Jan 2013, 12:46 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-49: admit to what? before
bakkies played for toulon you had zero
interest but now you are enamoured by
“mercenary tendencies”
maybe one day you will be ‘enamoured’ by
kiwi teams as it seems you are quick to
change your principles like your broeks
13 Jan 2013, 13:38 pm
Don’t think Toulon are wanting in the physical stakes with bakkies and danie, probably perfect foils for van niekerk and the lighter French flankers – I think Toulon did bladdy well last year.
The one thing that HM appears to have done really well is ressurect Habana’s career last year, in 2011 he was dire. In any event, I think it’s time to start blooding someone else for Boks with 2015 in mind- this Rhule looks like a lean and mean finisher.
I think Stormers will win the super 15 this year with or without habana, but deon fourie and elstadt must start for most games. If joe pietersen fit I play him or grant at 10 rather than jantjies – otherwise it’s a moerse squad especially with the lions additions of cilliers and taute.
13 Jan 2013, 14:27 pm
@cab-53: ” The one thing that HM appears to have
done really well is ressurect Habana’s
career last year, in 2011 he was dire.”
again you perpetuate this myth of meyer having influence in habana’s form, a player whose game improved from feb while meyer took over the boks for one week in june!
meyer had no hand in habana’s good form, the player made no mention of him in the july interview of SARugby mag.
myth.
13 Jan 2013, 14:58 pm
@Transformation-51:
i’m just saying its an an interesting concept, that’s all.
13 Jan 2013, 15:55 pm
@J.B. Cowper-50:
Well, I can say the something similae about your view of Frans. That it is based on personal preference rather than detached rational assessment.
His positional play at full back is poor. Just have a look against Wales in the RWC in 2011 and see how many times players like FdP, Habana, etc had to fall back to field kicks because Frans was not in the right position.
Give me one example where Frans joined the back line from full back and send his wing over to score a try. Compare Muliaina when he joined the line and the countless tries the AB wings scored after receiving the last pass from him. Oh yes, I don’t know if you’ve noticed. Frans, when he joined the line from full back, only did so on the right wing side of the field only then to kick a grubber for field position, ran into an opponent or got to the ground where he was then penalized for “not releasing” the ball.
One or two 60m kicks per game is not enough reason to play him at FB.
Provide me with his stats wrt his “incredible accuracy for his long-distance place kicking.” He had 3/3 against the AB quite a few years ago and all of a sudden everybody said how accurate he was. I believe he missed 3/3 against the Argies (I think) last year.
No man, I’ll give him credit for his good defence, his catching from the air (if he’s in position and the odd long range clearance/kick to poles/drop goal but I do believe that he is not this superman that you guys believe him to be.
He is an average test player at best.
13 Jan 2013, 15:59 pm
got to the ground = got tackled to the ground
13 Jan 2013, 18:03 pm
@Transformation-54:
i’m not sure that is correct, i dont feel the need to perpetuate any myth, and i think meyer’s first season was pretty ordinary considering the talent we have and i wanted to pull my hair out at times such were the conservatism in selection.
However, just as i criticised, credit must also be given for the turnaround in form of certain players, and say what you like but he does seem to have the player’s confidence, i dunno if thats cos habana is a secret boertjie in another lifetime or they bid onder die selfde blou vlag, i dont really care, all i know is habana was uiters kak for most of 2010 and 2011 – and i was a huge fan – he went from one of the best players in world rugby to one of the worst – he had no hunger no form no confidence no heart – it was horrific. jan duplessis is another one, seemingly completely different players under meyer, the workrate stepped up at least 30% i reckon.
i think meyer is able to motivate these players tremendously, dunno if its cos he a fellow boertjie but they all rate him as the next coming, which is sometimes a good thing, same as prayers (im a great fan if it means it’ll give them an edge), personally i think he’s too conservative and blou-biased, but there are glimmerings of hope, this season will be the test, the boks must win 80% and start playing rugby or else he must waai – too much talent at present for 65% results.
13 Jan 2013, 18:12 pm
if he had to select fourie, elstadt and de jong in Bok 22, that would be a giant step forward, tell me who is going to take this side on (they will sommer klap the ABs into next week):
1. Beast 2. Bismark 3. Cilliers 4. Elstadt 5. Etsebeth 6. Brussow 7. Alberts 8. Vermeulen 9. Hougard 10.Goosen 11. Habana/Rhule/JdV 12. Frans 13. De Jong 14. JP 15. Taute
16. Gurthro 17. Deon Fourie 18. Jan Dup 19. Bekker 20. Kolisi/Louw 21. Joe P 22. Habana/Rhule
no one going to be beat that side in a hurry
13 Jan 2013, 18:31 pm
@nama1-56:
Agree to disagree
13 Jan 2013, 18:49 pm
@J.B. Cowper-60:
No probs.
Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.
14 Jan 2013, 15:25 pm
@cab-59:
Geez mate why dont you just cut to the chase, take the stormer side “en maak hulle almal Boke”
Pages: « 1 [2] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.