Habana may move to saracensSaracens are planning to use their golden South African connection to sig

[steynboi]

we may well have a handful of rugby talent africans at the club for the 2009/2010 season.

evidence: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunio...remiership.html

and also daily mail newspaper


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Saracens are planning to use their golden South African connection to sign the two superstars of Springbok rugby - Bryan Habana and Schalk Burger.

Preliminary enquiries are being made with a view to completing the most spectacular coup of the professional era sometime after the world champions' three-Test series against the Lions in June.

Sarries believe they have the priceless boardroom contacts and the financial clout to make it happen following an £8million investment in the club from a South African company headed by the Stellenbosch billionaire Johann Rupert.

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South Africa

The gum show comes to town: South African international Bryan Habana could be coming to England to play for Saracens

Their goal, under Nigel Wray's direction, is to convert the serial under-achievers of the Guinness Premiership into 'a home from home for rugby-loving South Africans in Britain'.

The capture of Habana or Burger - or preferably both - is high on the agenda as the most effective way of tapping into the 750,000 South Africans living in
the southeast of England.

The new South African directors on the Sarries board still chaired by Wray include three of the leading figures responsible for the unforgettable 1995 World Cup - Francois Pienaar as captain, Morne du Plessis as manager and Edward Griffiths as chief executive. More intriguingly, two other new directors hold powerful positions in the provincial franchises which employ Habana and Burger.[/b]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

John Newbury, one of South Africa's leading industrialists, is also chairman of the Pretoria-based Vodacome Bulls where 25-year-old Habana, who will be out of contract at the end of the next South African season in May, is the star attraction. Jannie Durand, chief executive of VenFin, the investment company backing Saracens under Rupert's chairmanship, is chairman of the Vodacom Stormers Super 14 operation where Burger, also 25, first made a name for himself.

Both players, permanent fixtures in the Springboks' recovery of the World Cup in France last year, are among the chosen few to have been anointed with the International Board's player of the year accolade. Sarries, unchanged for today's home match against Northampton after Sunday's thumping 44-14 win over Newcastle, are expecting their first Springbok arrival, back row forward Wikus van Heerden, next month.
England

Burger to go? South African favourite Schalk Burger could also be playing club rugby at Sarries

They are saying nothing publicly about the Habana-Burger extravaganza but enquiries are said to be 'at an early stage'.

Wray, who remains in charge of the club and as 'committed as ever' after pouring some £15m of his personal fortune into keeping it afloat, said from South Africa last night: 'We have contacts and we have to use them to improve our fan base by building the team up. Our crowds are far too low and we have to build them up, ideally to around an average of 17,000.

The idea is not to become a South African club but we want close links with South African players because there is now a natural alliance with a group of South African investors who love rugby 'We are not doing this to be also-rans. We want to be one of the best sides in Europe.

'I am more enthusiastic now because we have the financial resources. I haven't spent 13 years at the coalface to pull out now. A burden shared is much better than one which isn't and this is new capital injected into the company. No-one has sold any shares or taken a penny out or has any intention of doing so.

'There is no doubt in my mind that, whether we like it or not, rugby will go the same way as soccer. That means, very simply, that you will need substantial resources to play at the top table and if you're not at the top table, you're probably nowhere.

'We are all committed to being a top European team, simple as that. We don't want to be nearly men and we don't want to use the words 'should' or 'if'. We have to do it, simple as that.

'There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that we have the quality of people on and off the pitch to do something really special this season and in subsequent seasons for that matter.

We also aim to please. That means we want everyone who comes to Vicarage Road to be entertained and to have fun.'

The six-strong South African directorate includes Rupert's daughter, Caroline. Her billionaire father, chairman of the Swiss-based luxury goods company Richemont which owns the Cartier, Montblanc and Dunhill brands, had been involved in the abortive venture to parachute a South African team into the English League and call themselves London Tribe. The RFU scotched the project before it got off the ground.[/b]

 

[Sir Speedy]

"750,000 South Africans living in the southeast of England."

I was more startled by this. Is that a real statistic? :huh:
Anyway, the way Saracens are playing this year, Schalk and Habana will be plying their trade in the Challenge Cup next year.

 

[steynboi]

we have played 2 good games and 2 bad games. It's watford's fault if we lose at home

 

[Prestwick]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Sep 28 2008, 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

"750,000 South Africans living in the southeast of England."

I was more startled by this. Is that a real statistic? :huh:
Anyway, the way Saracens are playing this year, Schalk and Habana will be plying their trade in the Challenge Cup next year.[/b]

Yeah, and their opponents in the first round will be Saints :lol:

However, there are a load of influential people in South African Rugby putting money into Saracens. The word on the street is that they want to bring a South African franchise into the Guinness Premiership through the back door after an original idea was scotched by the RFU.

 

[steynboi]

Well we owned the saints without ease. Just adding habana and schalk to the teamsheet will just be embrassing for the saints.

 

[Sir Speedy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (steynboi @ Sep 28 2008, 03:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Well we owned the saints without ease. Just adding habana and schalk to the teamsheet will just be embrassing for the saints.[/b]

Watching the repeat yesterday, it seems that you hardly owned the Saints. The fact you only broke away in the last 15 minutes shows this much at least...

 

[Prestwick]

Well by the same measure, Saints weren't exactly cruising comfortably either. In fact they were going to sneak a victory despite all the pressure from Saracens.

 

[steynboi]

we still owned them. Our set pieces was too much calculations for them and they crumbled like bred crumbs falling from the knife onto the board.

ps. why is the ***le wrong it should just be habana may move to saracens not with all the extra crap on the end.

 

[Bullitt]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Sep 28 2008, 04:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (steynboi @ Sep 28 2008, 03:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well we owned the saints without ease. Just adding habana and schalk to the teamsheet will just be embrassing for the saints.[/b]

Watching the repeat yesterday, it seems that you hardly owned the Saints. The fact you only broke away in the last 15 minutes shows this much at least...
[/b][/quote]


Don't rise to it, he's an idiot who clearly didn't watch the game. It wouldn't be the first time he's spouted ********.

 

[Prestwick]

'twas such a tight game and a keen contest. Both sides faults seemed to cancel each other out for the most part in the end to be honest :lol:

 

[steynboi]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Sep 28 2008, 05:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Sep 28 2008, 04:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (steynboi @ Sep 28 2008, 03:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well we owned the saints without ease. Just adding habana and schalk to the teamsheet will just be embrassing for the saints.[/b]

Watching the repeat yesterday, it seems that you hardly owned the Saints. The fact you only broke away in the last 15 minutes shows this much at least...
[/b][/quote]


Don't rise to it, he's an idiot who clearly didn't watch the game. It wouldn't be the first time he's spouted ********.
[/b][/quote]

i watched the game.

your the idiot who thought saints would cream the saracens but really it was the saints who was creamed on.

The first half was very boring.

 

[Bullitt]

When did I ever say "Saints would cream Sarries"? Come on, tell me.

I fancied their chances before the game, and in reality they had a good chance of getting a result at half time. It started going wrong when Fox pulled Lamont back for the knock-on that never was.

The team started to self implode with about 18 minutes to go and the scoreline flattered Saracens to the nth degree. Neither team got "creamed on" as you so like to put it, nor did either look particularly poor for the majority of the game. It was only when Saints went down to 13 men that Sarries ever looked like scoring.

And finally, just because Prestwick is taking the mickey in his own unique style doesn't mean that you have to start acting like a knob making derogitory comments.

 

[Prestwick]

Oh god, here we go.

CLASH OF THE FANBOYS!

When I take the mick, I always do it in ways which confuse and baffle, such as spamming Mite's threads with WWE tribute videos.

 

[bates]

Well according to me this transfer will cost the Saracens a serious £
Altho I doubt if it's a good thing for SA rugby if 2 of there better Boks player are going oversea. ( Altho Schalk couldn't convience me the last couple of TNC games, but in general he left a pretty good impression)

 

[steynboi]

im not making derogitory comments im just believing in my team. I believe in whats right. Northampton didnt either look close to scoring in fact they didnt and we did just because of 13 men. We was near the try line anyway when u was at 15. Jackson was going to go for 3 but borthwick said no and wanted a scrum so dont say 13 men was an excuse we could of gone for 3 instead of 7.

anyway this thread is about habana and shalk moving to sarries not about saints v saracens whos better .

 

[Sir Speedy]

Just as a side-note: Ben Foden must feel like a right prat leaving Sale for Saints at the moment...

 

[Prestwick]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Incredible Schalk]

Schalk wont leave, his genuine level headedness as a person would surprise me if he left his roots behind in search of money. He's only 25, maybe after the next world cup.

 

[steynboi]

hopefully he will come we've had peeps like jannie de beer and pieonar, brent russell just adding habana and schalk will give me a hard on when i look at the teamsheet to play against teams.

 

[Steve-o]

Burger won't leave imo, however Habana has said he wants to play in France so he may join a English team but it'll probably be for a short while, just long enough to secure a retirement fund. Then he'll come back to SA and open a coffee shop like all the other players that have come back.