'I can't tell you what I'm going to be doing post this World Cup from 8-to-5 as a job... nothing is set in stone'
Bryan Habana freely admits he is still getting used to the rugby afterlife, still adjusting to the term ex-rugby player. He lit up the globe for close on 15 years, winning a World Cup with South Africa and filling his boots with multi-trophy Toulon after initially carving out his reputation a sublime finisher for the hard-nosed Bulls.
But little over a year since he packed it all in in France and called it quits, he is still unsure where the post-playing fork in the road is taking him. He will never be short of notice – a personable guy like Habana will always stand out from the crowd.
However, as things stand, he knows he will be very much at a loose end once the few gigs he has lined up for himself in conjunction with the World Cup conclude at the early November close of the tournament.
What happens after that is uncertain but he hopes his general awareness about how tricky the transition can be from rugby player to identifying a lasting new career will keep him on the straight-and-narrow, ensuring his mental health is never something that he allows to take a turn for the worse.
“The transition period is one of the most spoken about things in the current professional sports climate,” the 36-year-old told RugbyPass. “I have said to quite a lot of people over the course of the last 14 months that you don’t fully realise how much of a bubble professional sport is until that bubble actually bursts.
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#MotivationalMondays #ChoosePositive . . Be in charge of your ATTITUDE ??????
“I was pretty fortunate to have an extremely long career and for that I was very fortunate as it gives you time to prepare. I went back to study in my final year in Toulon and while my rugby career didn’t quite end the way I envisioned it to be, I was pretty fortunate that I built up a brand throughout my career that corporate brands wanted to be a part of.
“To still be a Land Rover ambassador, to be involved with Mastercard for World Cup and to be doing some punditry work for Channel 4 and ITV, I have been pretty fortunate. But the biggest thing is it’s never the same and there are various parts (of rugby) that you do miss.
“I have been fortunate with the transition period but I can’t tell you what I’m going to be doing post this World Cup from 8-to-5 as a job. Hopefully, along with the business interests I’m currently involved in, I can find my route, but one looks at what happened to Dan Vickerman a couple of years ago.
Devastating news about Dan Vickerman. Thoughts are with his family. pic.twitter.com/ONOncTXBZ3
— David Pocock (@pocockdavid) February 20, 2017
“There was a guy who had also gone back into the corporate space… and everything seemed to be hunky-dory, but he just couldn’t handle the pressure of the transition period and took his own life. There is a massive dialogue about this transition period and a lot of the players’ unions especially are trying to do help make that experience a lot less uncomfortable for the players.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, go through a transition period from something you love and have played for 15 years, been paid well and is your passion and then you have to potentially start at the bottom of the food chain in the real world.
“I have been very, very fortunate. It has been good and I can’t complain. Am I going to continue being fortunate for the future post this World Cup? I really hope so, but nothing is set in stone.”
In 1995, @bryanhabana was not a record-try scoring Rugby-World-Cup-winning Springbok.
He was a 12-year-old football fan in a divided country.
But Nelson Mandela's iconic appearance at Ellis Park lit a ? inside him.#mandeladay2019 #mandeladay #sportforgood pic.twitter.com/w4HSQMeQnJ
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) July 18, 2019
Currently, he is rekindling his passion for all things South African. It was 2013 when he packed up and headed to France, but he has been settling back into his old haunts since moving home late last year with a young family that hadn’t been born when he took off to Europe.
“I absolutely love South Africa,” said the Land Rover ambassador with a genuine warmth for his homeland. “It has been really comforting coming back home. As a nation, South Africa is probably one of the friendliest people you will ever meet.
“We have got an extremely beautiful country and being close to family, being close to loved ones and that support structure now having two little kids aged five and one, that makes a massive difference. Even though our country is going through a lot of political turmoil and economic instability, it is still a fantastic place to be. What the future holds for me I’m not too sure, but at the moment I’m pretty happy to be back in South Africa.
“The sun shines a little bit more than it did in the French Riviera and it is definitely not as cold as having to go and play in Paris in December at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night. It has been great to be back. I have always been proud to be South African and I have got a few foundation elements going on and to give that commitment has been really special, to use sport as a vehicle to hopefully leave a legacy.”
He combined both – a vehicle to get him to sport – just last Tuesday, driving into the Eastern Cape bush in a Land Rover with Justin Marshall to host an impromptu rugby game with rangers in a wildlife reserve by way of acknowledging that the eagerly awaited Springboks-All Blacks World Cup pool clash in Yokohama is fast approaching.
“It was uniquely special,” he said about a bush rugby match that diplomatically ended honours even. “I have played at some incredible stadiums throughout my rugby career and been at some amazing rugby events, but never in my wildest dream did I think I would be on a grassroots type of field that had absolutely no grass on it, surrounded by lions, elephants, hippopotamuses.
What an absolutely uniquely phenomenal #BushRugby experience with @LandRoverRugby.
Marshy got me with a solid show and go but I managed to steal one back with an intercept(OBVIOUSLY) to square the game up.
Bring on @rugbyworldcup 2019?#BushRugby #DrivenBeyond pic.twitter.com/9RNJazKoXY
— Bryan Habana (@BryanHabana) August 21, 2019
“I know I raced against a cheetah in 2007, but this was a pretty unique experience. There was the mandatory Bryan Habana intercept but also a massive show and go dummy that I fell for from Justin that he scored a length of the field try with. We finished all square. We called it all even because in the spirit of the game we didn’t want to make anyone feel disheartened.”
It was enough to whet the appetite ahead of Japan 2019 where he feels as many as six teams have realistic hopes of lifting the trophy. He’s chuffed and surprised his Springboks are in contention.
A year ago, despite winning in Wellington against the All Blacks, he wouldn’t have been shouting from the rooftops about the Boks, suggesting that Rassie Erasmus’ percentages at the year’s end only mirrored and not eclipsed his predecessor, Allister Coetzee.
However, now that the Rugby Championship title has recently been annexed, he is buoyed by the possibility of witnessing Siya Kolisi do something no black South African has yet done. “It has been surprising and it has put a lot of excitement around sport in South Africa.
“Rassie is one of the great thinkers, not only from a coaching perspective but even playing the game he was one of those guys who would be worried about the amount of video analysis he was doing and then thinking about the game differently.
“We know what he was able to achieve with Munster and he has brought back a lot of experience and knowledge from that stint. From a South African supporter’s perspective, it’s wonderful to see the Springboks doing so well.
So proud of this team!!#StrongerTogether #Springboks pic.twitter.com/87W1yTBx1w
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 10, 2019
“I’m definitely going to be packing my Springbok jumper for Japan hoping that we are going to see the Springboks do well against New Zealand in that first game. Hopefully, we can see Siya Kolisi go on and become the first black South African to list the Webb Ellis Cup as captain.”
That would be quite the sight given the trauma that visited Habana and his colleagues in 2015, the Boks beaten by the Japanese in Brighton in one of the great upsets of all time. It’s a wound that still stings, regardless of the fact South Africa recovered to bounce back and finish third in the tournament.
“Horrible, it was horrible,” he said, looking back on that dastardly forgettable September 2015 day by the English seaside. “One of the worst experiences of my rugby career. To be beaten by a Japanese side, it hurt even more than one could have ever imagined.
“The manner in which we let ourselves and the jersey down was exceptionally disappointing. You look at it from a South African perspective as humiliating and disappointing, but what it meant for rugby was absolutely exceptional.
“To see the reaction of the Japanese supporters and the growth of the game in Japan post that, there are two sides to the coin but it was one of the most disappointing moments of my rugby career.”
Despite travelling the world in a stellar career that featured 124 Test caps, it was only last June when he touched down in Japan for his first time ever, himself and Wales’ Shane Williams embarking on the last stop of a promotional tour with the trophy that the All Blacks are looking to secure for a third consecutive time.
That flying visit was enough for Habana to get a sense as to how very different this tournament will be from the finals he played in France, New Zealand and England. Local intel is a factor he reckons that shouldn’t be under-estimated, suggesting that Eddie Jones’ Japanese connections can give England a particular advantage.
“You hear of it being extremely culturally different and unique but until you actually get there you don’t fully realise how different it is. Eddie has intricate knowledge of the structures, the different ways in which Japan functions.
“It can potentially be a positive and an advantage for that England side. A lot of people have potentially never played rugby in Japan and the stadia are very different, the logistics are very different and Eddie will know those things and plan appropriately with the knowledge he has.
2??7??
Ngwenya vs Habana. #RWC2007. Need we say more. pic.twitter.com/qQQU724L6u
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 24, 2019
“Does it mean England are going to win the World Cup? Not necessarily but it does give them an advantage that no other coach other than the coach of Japan has.
“The top six teams in world rugby at present could potentially go on to win. More teams are vying to win it and even your so-called tier two nations could potentially raise some massive upsets. It bodes well for an extremely wonderful, culturally different, amazing World Cup.”
WATCH: Check out how Land Rover ambassador Bryan Habana and New Zealand’s Justin Marshall got on at Kwandwe game reserve in the Eastern Cape when they played rugby with the local rangers amongst the wildlife
Land Rover is an official worldwide partner of Rugby World Cup 2019. With over 20 years of heritage supporting rugby at all levels, Land Rover is celebrating what makes rugby, rugby. #LandRoverRugby
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments