Bryan Habana - Player of the Year
South African Winger Establishes Himself in Rugby's Top Echelons
Springbok Bryan Gary Habana, 24, after scoring eight tries in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, has won the plaudits of experts including the legendary Jonah Lomu
On Sunday 21st October Bryan Habana, the South African winger was confirmed as the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year. .
Bryan Gary Habana was born iin Benoni, Gauteng, in 1983 and gets his first names from footballers. His father, Bernie, is a South African millionaire who loves rugby and soccer equally. So the rugby hero is named after former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey. Bailey, a goalkeeper, is in fact a South African.
The World Cup
Habana contributed no points at the Stade de France on Saturday evening during his team’s 15-9 victory whereby South Africa ended England's reign as world champions and claimed the World Cup for the second time. In earlier matches Habana had scored eight tries to equal the record set by Jonah Lomu in the 1999 World Cup. .
Hailed by Lomu
Lomu –in his time also a winger - has praised Habana's achievement. Lomu’s stood 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) and weighed 119 kg (262 lb). Habana is shorter at 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) and weighs 90 kg (198 lbs) and is noted for his speed.
Speed and Co-ordination
Bryan Habana’s time for 100 metres has crept down below 11.0 seconds. In April 2007 he competed against a cheetah in a 100-meter race, a stunt aimed at raising awareness that the cheetah is almost an endangered species.
Habana is himself regarded as rare because of his outstanding ability to intercept. He can suddenly grab the ball before his opponent receives it, then streak to the touchline, leaving no-one any hope of catching him. These remarkable runs have measured as long as 80 metres.
Training
Habana’s famous interceptions constitute just one aspect of the meticulous planning that has marked the South African team – the Springboks – as a formidably professional outfit. The Springbok coach, Jake White, and his technical adviser, Eddie Jones, have been widely praised. However, much credit for Habana’s current form must go to Dr Sherylle Calder. Dr Calder, a petite woman working among mountainous men, is a world expert in hand-eye co-ordination .
On Saturday she entered the record books as the first person to win winner’s medals in consecutive World Cup competitions. In 2003 she worked with Sir Clive Woodward's victorious English team, although she is South African. A highly accomplished sportswoman herself – she played in 50 matches for the South African hockey team – she understands hard work.
The Unwieldy Rugby Ball
Urged on by Dr. Calder, Bryan Habana trains by throwing the ball repeatedly at a net which returns it at an infinity of angles, heights and speeds. In a burst lasting one minute he can achieve 118 throws - two per second. Habana’s lightning reactions are also evident when the ball bounces on the ground, enhanced by good luck. More often than not, after the ball has hit the grass, it seems to look for his capable hands.
Race in Rugby
Rugby was such a symbol of apartheid that Bryan Habana’s father – a keen player – was banned from playing rugby for so much as attending a match at the Mecca of white rugby, Johannesburg’s Ellis Park. There is still talk of positive discrimination in Springbok rugby and the enforced selection of more people of colour in the national team.
Habana – a ‘coloured’ man in South African terms - is there on merit. Indeed a comedy team in his homeland satirised the team’s strategy. In a sketch the guy’s agree that all they’ll do when they play is ,Gee die bal vir Bryan' - ‘Give the ball to Bryan’.
