Anna Kessel in The Observer interviews Bryan Habana (and his dad–”Sir, Mr Habana or Uncle Bernie”). Habana gets to talk about the meaning of the 1995 World Cup, race and sports, history (“Jeez, you know if Chester Williams hadn’t made a statement or given his all would I be sitting here today?”), and his ideal captain. The latter allows makes Kessel speculate about Habana’s own destiny in the Springbok team:
Excerpt:
‘It goes so much deeper than what happens on the rugby field. Whether it be Bakkies Botha or Tendai or Ricky Januarie, no matter the colour of their skin, who they are or where they’ve come from, it’s great to see how the different energies gel, and how [captain] John Smit manages that. He’s got guys from different provinces – it could cause tension – and he’s got to make it work. I think if John was black he would still be the captain he is now.’
That statement in itself is interesting. South Africa are yet to appoint a black captain for their rugby team, but there may just be a candidate now who proves irresistible.
