Bryan Habana signs for Toulon

[TRF_heineken]

Cape Town - Springbok wing Bryan Habana will leave the Stormers after this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby competition to join French Top 14 club, Toulon.

Final draw for the 2013 Super Rugby season

Die Burger was reliably informed that Habana penned the deal with the French side in the last few days.

This comes after Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal confirmed last month that the Top 14 leaders were in hot pursuit of the Springbok flyer. Boudjellal said at the time the chances of Habana joining Toulon were "closer to 10 than zero."

At this stage it's unsure exactly how long Habana, 29, will play in France, nor whether he will be available for the Springboks' Incoming Tests against Italy and Scotland in June.

The news will come as a blow to the Cape side as Habana was in top form last season, which saw him named SA Player of the Year for a third time.

Habana also won the Try of the Year award at last year's IRB awards, for his outstanding solo effort against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship in Dunedin.

The 2013 Super Rugby season kicks off on Friday, February 15, with the Stormers due to play their first match on Friday, February 22 against Habana's former team, the Bulls, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

So looks like the only guy that could score tries for WP won't be available when it's Currie Cup time again... Guess the Currie Cup won't be staying in the Cape after all...

 

[nickdnz]

Huge signing for Toulon. Shame that we won't see him in SR next season I presume

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Habana is only leaving in 7 months. He will still play Super Rugby in 2013

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[TRF_stormer2010]

He can go after the SR season. Until then he has some unfinished business with the Stormers. This will certainly free up some cash and a wing spot for us to move on.

I'm looking forward to see if one of our young guys will step up or if we look to sign someone from outside. Justin Gedult (who has been named in the Bok u20 side for 2013) has some serious pace and is more elusive than Aplon. Then there is the possibility of one our centers coming in at wing; Du Plessis, Howard or Mbovane could work. I'm not a huge fan of Van den Heever TBH.

 

[Big Ewis]

man Toulon's just piling up those big names huh....oh well, that's just the way it goes I suppose...in every league of every sport of any era, there has and will always be "super teams"...
It would be interesting to know what league (of any sport, but pro level) is genuinely the most competitive and fair; i.e.: not 3 or 4 teams with all the best players.

Also: apparently he wouldn't even play wing in Toulon. Can't remember what they said...like, center I believe.

 

[psychic duck]

man Toulon's just piling up those big names huh....oh well, that's just the way it goes I suppose...in every league of every sport of any era, there has and will always be "super teams"...
It would be interesting to know what league (of any sport, but pro level) is genuinely the most competitive and fair; i.e.: not 3 or 4 teams with all the best players.

Also: apparently he wouldn't even play wing in Toulon. Can't remember what they said...like, center I believe.

The top team in NFL changes quite a bit as there is salary cap and bottom teams get first draft pick.

And by the way, no way will Habana play centre when Giteau, Bastareaud and Mermoz are all there.

 

[Big Ewis]

was it fullback then, can't remember...in fact the commentator was saying that position was his natural position and that he switched to wing later...but anyways.

oh ok (about the NFL). Coz in the NBA for e.g., it's all like 3 or 4 teams. And it's been like that since the beginning. Ppl think the "superteam" phenomenon is a new one, but it's always been there.

And like in the Top14, I'd bet there's a majority of Toulouse fans out there. They're not doing GREAT this year, think they're still 3rd; but it's no coincidence I mean...

 

[Sker]

Scrumhalf I think? He started out at no.9 (I think)

 

[gaston le gaff]

The top team in NFL changes quite a bit as there is salary cap and bottom teams get first draft pick.

And by the way, no way will Habana play centre when Giteau, Bastareaud and Mermoz are all there.

it was quoted from the man himself this weekend President Boujellah that Habana will probably play centre all depends on whether Jonnie retires, Giteau moves to 10 Michelak 9/10 as Bastareaud could be coming to us at Montpellier BUT AT THE MOMENT ITS NOT A DONE DEAL......

 

[Gavin]

it was quoted from the man himself this weekend President Boujellah that Habana will probably play centre all depends on whether Jonnie retires, Giteau moves to 10 Michelak 9/10 as Bastareaud could be coming to us at Montpellier BUT AT THE MOMENT ITS NOT A DONE DEAL......

Why on earth would he play an out-and-out winger in the midfield? Habana is a finisher and should be kept out wide.

 

[Conal]

Why on earth would he play an out-and-out winger in the midfield? Habana is a finisher and should be kept out wide.

but what a centre he was in rugby 08

 

[Draggs]

but what a centre he was in rugby 08

Yep, Habana in midfield alongside Joubert, back three of Russell/Paulse/Montgomery.

 

[psychic duck]

Yep, Habana in midfield alongside Joubert, back three of Russell/Paulse/Montgomery.

Nearly every half decent outside back in South Africa has played for Stormers at some stage. Over the past decade they have had Paulse, Rossouw, Habana, Aplon, Chavhanga, Nokwe on the wings, Barry, Fleck, Joubert, de Villiers, Fourie in the centres, Montgomery, Greeff, Russell, Jantjes at full back. If you consider that amount of Boks in their outside backs, yet for the Bulls Wynand Olivier is probably their greatest centre which says it all really.

 

[Draggs]

Lambie, JP, McLeod...

 

[Tony Manx]

Probably will not play wing.....does not want to be shown up by Zee Ngwenya AGAIN!!

 

[TRF_Cymro]

So looks like the only guy that could score tries for WP won't be available when it's Currie Cup time again... Guess the Currie Cup won't be staying in the Cape after all...

Just to be awkward, if you are going to copy and paste an article from another site, could you please link it back to them. Just don't want the original site to send us a note that we are copying and pasting articles without giving credit back.

Thanks

 

[TRF_heineken]

Just to be awkward, if you are going to copy and paste an article from another site, could you please link it back to them. Just don't want the original site to send us a note that we are copying and pasting articles without giving credit back.

Thanks

Sure thing Cymro. Sorry about that, not that I think the original site would complain anyways, but I understand the principle.

Scrumhalf I think? He started out at no.9 (I think)

Yes. He started out as a scrumhalf when he was at UJ, and then for the Lions. then he was moved to Outside Centre, and made his Currie Cup Debut in that position. He was then picked for the Boks under Jake White's reign, for the EOYT and the made his debut vs. England at Twickers. Jake White moved him to wing, and when he moved to the Bulls, made that his more preferred position.

I for one think he will be just as effective at 13 as at wing, and he's the type of player who wants to be closer to the ball, and he can defend, so centre won't be too unfamiliar to him.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

oh ok (about the NFL). Coz in the NBA for e.g., it's all like 3 or 4 teams. And it's been like that since the beginning. Ppl think the "superteam" phenomenon is a new one, but it's always been there.

And like in the Top14, I'd bet there's a majority of Toulouse fans out there. They're not doing GREAT this year, think they're still 3rd; but it's no coincidence I mean...

The problem with the NBA is that there's a soft salary cap, meaning that for every dollar spend above the cap, the team has to pay the same amount to he NBA as a fine. This just doesn't work since big market teams like Lakers (LA), Heat (Miami), Knicks (NY), Bulls (Chicago) and Celtics (Boston) have such big sponsorship deals, they can easily effort to go over the cap by several millions.

If you want equality, have a hard salary cap like the NHL or NFL where no team is allowed to spend more, no exceptions.

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[William18]

MLB has no cap but achieves relative equality given the disparity in resources between the teams.

 

[Big Ewis]

Probably will not play wing.....does not want to be shown up by Zee Ngwenya AGAIN!!

:lol:

The problem with the NBA is that there's a soft salary cap, meaning that for every dollar spend above the cap, the team has to pay the same amount to he NBA as a fine. This just doesn't work since big market teams like Lakers (LA), Heat (Miami), Knicks (NY), Bulls (Chicago) and Celtics (Boston) have such big sponsorship deals, they can easily effort to go over the cap by several millions.

If you want equality, have a hard salary cap like the NHL or NFL where no team is allowed to spend more, no exceptions.

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just a couple of years ago, Kobe's salary for the year was about 54% of the Minnesota Timberwolves' entire salary cap for instance...
It's a ****ing joke, and yet the smaller teams are still out there every night, and TRY to compete.