Springbok legend Bryan Habana is one of five players that will be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame at the World Rugby Awards in Paris on 29 October.
The Rugby World Cup 2023 final will be followed by a gala event honouring Habana, Dan Carter (New Zealand), Thierry Dusautoir (France), George Smith (Australia), and Juan Martn Hernández (Argentina), according to a statement from World Rugby on Tuesday.
The World Rugby Hall of Fame presented by TUDOR honours individuals who have made outstanding contributions to rugby over the course of their careers while also exemplifying the values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect that rugby promotes.
Bok speedster Habana, who has scored 67 tries in 124 Tests to hold the SA record, equaled the record in 2007 by scoring eight tries as South Africa won the Webb Ellis Cup in France.
Carter, a two-time Rugby World Cup champion and test rugby’s all-time leading scorer, put on a masterful performance in the 2015 championship game to help New Zealand win back-to-back competitions for the first time in history.
RWC 2007 was a turning point for Argentina, and Hernández was in charge as Los Pumas twice stunned the French hosts en route to the bronze medal match. In contrast, Dusautoir and Smith experienced their last heartbreak in 2003 and 2011, respectively.
The five new members bring the Hall of Fame’s overall membership since its inception in 2006 to 166.
World Rugby Chairman and Hall of Fame inductee Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Rugby World Cup 2023 is our 200th birthday party, the sport’s greatest celebration of togetherness. We are proud to be inducting five legends of the game, players who are indelibly linked to the remarkable Rugby World Cup story.
“Each have played a huge role in making the sport what it is today, exciting and inspiring in equal measure, while always being superb ambassadors for their sport. Their impact was greater than the field of play, it transcended sport and society, taking rugby to another level. Congratulations to our inductees. We look forward to celebrating their achievements at the World Rugby Awards in Paris on 29 October.”
Fellow World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee and Chairman of the Hall of Fame panel John Eales said: “As our game celebrates another successful Rugby World Cup it is timely to recognise those who have contributed to making our game the wonderful global sport that it is. Today we induct a series of rugby players into the World Rugby Hall of Fame who have each thrived on the world stage as exemplars of the athletic requirements of our game, and just as importantly, as ambassadors of the values of our game. Congratulations to our five inductees.”
Bryan Habana (South Africa): World Rugby Hall of Fame – Inductee No.166
Bryan Habana, the second Springbok to win the award after Schalk Burger in 2004, was named World Rugby Player of the Year for his outstanding contribution to South Africa’s Rugby World Cup victory in 2007.
The record-tying eight touchdowns allowed the lightning-quick winger, who once famously competed against a cheetah in a sprint race, to finish as the tournament’s leading try-scorer and virtually unstoppable.
In order to tie Jonah Lomu as the men’s Rugby World Cup’s all-time leading try scorer, Habana scored two more tries at Rugby World Cup 2011 to become the Springboks’ all-time leading try scorer. He then added five more tries in his final tournament appearance in 2015 to bring his overall tally to 15.
When he came off the bench to score a try against England at Twickenham in November 2004, the Bok speedsters made their entrance into the test arena. He did so with his very first touch of the ball. That was the first of South Africa’s 67 tries in 124 Test matches, a feat only surpassed by Japan’s Daisuke Ohata in the history of rugby.
When Habana joined the Bulls in 2005, his club rugby career quickly advanced after he initially made an impression with the Lions. The trophy-filled portion of his career began at this point when he won Super Rugby championships in 2007 and 2009, which he paired with a Currie Cup. After transferring to the Stormers, he made another Super Rugby final appearance before capping off his time in South Africa by helping Western Province win the Currie Cup again.
After relocating to Toulon, the current European champions, Habana helped make the team into the one to beat alongside other legendary players like Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau. Habana won back-to-back European Cup winners medals while living on the Mediterranean coast in 2014 and 2015, helping Toulon become the first and only club to win three consecutive championships.
World Rugby Hall of Fame 2023 inductees
No.162 – Dan Carter (New Zealand)
No.163 – Thierry Dusautoir (France)
No.164 – George Smith (Australia)
No.165 – Juan Martín Hernández (Argentina)
No.166 – Bryan Habana (South Africa)
