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Stephen Nell
Dublin – Bryan Habana is on the verge of setting a new try-scoring record for the Springboks, but says his focus is rather on guiding South Africa’s young players in Saturday’s test against Ireland in the Aviva Stadium.
“The last thing on my mind now is the try-scoring record. I’m the kind of person that prefers to put the team first,” said Habana, who shares the South African record of 38 test tries with Joost van der Westhuizen.
“I was disappointed with my form during the Tri-Nations, but the conditioning programme has been good for me and I’m enjoying my rugby again.
“I want to make a contribution. We have a few young players who need older heads around them. I have played 66 tests, Bjorn Basson 2 and Gio Aplon 9. It’s important that I help ease the pressure on them so that they can play to the best of their ability.”
Habana also revealed on arrival in Dublin on Thursday that his feelings had been hurt when he was jeered by South African fans in the Tri-Nations.
“It’s never pleasant. I was disappointed in the crowd. When you have done so much for your country it hurts when people turn their backs on you,” he said.
“No professional sportsperson experiences highlights only. You have to learn from the bad times and always be humble in victory.
“It was nice to play well and score tries (in the Currie Cup) again. The important thing is to enjoy it. Sometimes one forgets that is what it’s all about. I’m fortunate to have people at Western Province and the Springboks that really appreciate me as a player and person. It’s time for me to give back to them what they have given me.”
The Bok squad experienced a somewhat bizarre day, with one of the flights leaving Johannesburg an hour and a half later than scheduled due to a faulty smoke detector in the cargo area.
The smoke detector was replaced and flight SA234 finally left Johannesburg. That, however, was not the end of the drama as an unruly passenger also had to be brought under control.
While the Boks did not witness the alleged incident, passengers in the back of the aeroplane reported seeing police vehicles once the plane came to a standstill at Heathrow.
Passengers were also asked to sit down again for a very short while after they had got out of their seats to disembark.
In a further development there is unlikely to be a sell-out crowd for Saturday’s test in the Aviva Stadium. This comes after the Irish Rugby Union tried to package the selling of tickets for tests. There has already been a public admission of the blunder.
Dublin – Bryan Habana is on the verge of setting a new try-scoring record for the Springboks, but says his focus is rather on guiding South Africa’s young players in Saturday’s test against Ireland in the Aviva Stadium.
“The last thing on my mind now is the try-scoring record. I’m the kind of person that prefers to put the team first,” said Habana, who shares the South African record of 38 test tries with Joost van der Westhuizen.
“I was disappointed with my form during the Tri-Nations, but the conditioning programme has been good for me and I’m enjoying my rugby again.
“I want to make a contribution. We have a few young players who need older heads around them. I have played 66 tests, Bjorn Basson 2 and Gio Aplon 9. It’s important that I help ease the pressure on them so that they can play to the best of their ability.”
Habana also revealed on arrival in Dublin on Thursday that his feelings had been hurt when he was jeered by South African fans in the Tri-Nations.
“It’s never pleasant. I was disappointed in the crowd. When you have done so much for your country it hurts when people turn their backs on you,” he said.
“No professional sportsperson experiences highlights only. You have to learn from the bad times and always be humble in victory.
“It was nice to play well and score tries (in the Currie Cup) again. The important thing is to enjoy it. Sometimes one forgets that is what it’s all about. I’m fortunate to have people at Western Province and the Springboks that really appreciate me as a player and person. It’s time for me to give back to them what they have given me.”
The Bok squad experienced a somewhat bizarre day, with one of the flights leaving Johannesburg an hour and a half later than scheduled due to a faulty smoke detector in the cargo area.
The smoke detector was replaced and flight SA234 finally left Johannesburg. That, however, was not the end of the drama as an unruly passenger also had to be brought under control.
While the Boks did not witness the alleged incident, passengers in the back of the aeroplane reported seeing police vehicles once the plane came to a standstill at Heathrow.
Passengers were also asked to sit down again for a very short while after they had got out of their seats to disembark.
In a further development there is unlikely to be a sell-out crowd for Saturday’s test in the Aviva Stadium. This comes after the Irish Rugby Union tried to package the selling of tickets for tests. There has already been a public admission of the blunder.
