Rugby - Toulon : Bryan Habana met un terme à sa carrière

mardi 24 avril 2018 à 15:11

L'ailier de Toulon Bryan Habana a annoncé ce mardi qu'il allait arrêter sa carrière à l'issue de cette saison.

Blessé au genou depuis avril 2017, Bryan Habana n'a pas pu jouer un seul match cette saison avec le RCT. Incapable de retrouver son niveau, l'ailier international sud-africain (124 sélections), champion du monde en 2007 avec les Springboks, a décidé de raccrocher les crampons en juin prochain comme il l'a annoncé sur son compte instagram. Deux fois champion d'Europe avec Toulon (2014, 2015) et une fois champion de France (2014), Bryan Habana reste également le recordman d'essais marqués dans une seule Coupe du monde (huit à égalité avec Julian Savea et Jonah Lomu). Avec Jonah Lomu, il partage aussi le record d'essais marqués dans cette compétition (15 en trois mondiaux).

So it’s my turn to say Thank You: . The inevitable moment has come knocking on my door and I’ve welcomed it in for a drink. . It’s been more than a year of hoping, trying, pushing and willing to get back on the field for one last time, to taste the sweet victory or encounter that gut-wrenching despair. To hear the roar of the crowd or grab the pill out of the air. To make that last bone crunching tackle or score that last game winning try. But it’s unfortunately just not to be. I, like most, would have liked my career to have ended differently, but sometimes things don’t turn out quite the way we hope for. . So at the end of this season, it’s time to say goodbye and thank you to the game I so dearly love. . To try and sum up the past 16 years and how quickly they’ve flown by or even begin to describe how amazing the journey has been is impossible. . I would though like to express my gratitude: . • First and foremost, to God for blessing me with the talent to play this beautiful game. • To my wife Janine, Timothy and our newborn Gabriel, for your support, sacrifice and love to follow me to all corners of the earth so that I can pursue my dreams. • To my family and friends, far and wide, who wore their hearts on their sleeves as much as I did. • To the coaches, team-mates, medical and support staff in all the teams I was involved in. • To every opponent that made the battle tough and worthwhile. • To all my sponsors over the years who believed in me enough to support me on the journey. • To the fans, who make the game what it is. • To the critics, not to prove you wrong but so that I could prove to myself I could. • To the media, who take the game to households the world over. • To the lessons learnt, through the good times and the bad. • To the friendships made and experiences a plenty. . But most of all to Rugby, because for me it truly is a game made in heaven. . As a close friend one said: “memories are all we have.” And I’m immensely grateful for the memories I take with me into the next chapter. . With much respect . BH11

Une publication partagée par Bryan Habana (@bryanhabana_) le 24 Avril 2018 à 4 :00 PDT