You have to respect opposition
Such is the depth of talent available to the big-spending French league leaders South African World Cup winner and former IRB world player of the year Habana was an unused substitute in the European quarter-final win over Leinster earlier this month and is not guaranteed a starting place having missed last weekend’s Top14 win over Perpignan in Barcelona due to injury.
Yet the 30-year-old Springbok wing, capped 95 times, is taking nothing for granted as in-form Toulon chase an historic first domestic and European double while he bids to add a Heineken Cup to his Super Rugby honours with the Bulls.
“Going into any game as big as this weekend I think the first thing you have to do is respect your opponent,” Habana said yesterday. “You’re not going to just pitch up, even if it is just a 45-minute trip down the road to Marseilles. One can’t expect to just pitch up and expect the home crowd to do it for you, or expect that what you’ve done over the last four or five weeks is going to do it for you. You have got to respect the opponents you are coming up against. You have to make sure you are not only physically, but mentally fit for what is to come. If you don’t it is going to be a very long day at the office.
“It is not that we are going to be fearful or undermine Munster at all. I think we are going to respect what they are bringing, respect the calibre of their play over the last couple of weeks. We are going to go into this game putting everything on the line.”
Habana was hugely impressed by Munster’s six-try demolition of Toulouse in the quarter-finals.
“Munster have been one club over the last couple of years who as a South African you stand up and respect. They have been really able to achieve some big things and I think for me personally to see guys like Jean De Villiers that have gone over there and played their part, it has lent more of a South African perspective to it.
“Again, the type of players they have, they have been led unbelievably well by Paul O’Connell and guys who have achieved some great things in international rugby. It is not surprising at all, you know, guys who have formed a big part of the British and Irish Lions and have been a part of international rugby for a while.
“Standing from the outside you want to analyse and you respect what they have been able to achieve. To go out and do what they did to Toulouse was pretty emphatic, so one has got to have a lot of respect for that.”
After an injury-hampered debut season in France, Habana has plenty of pent-up energy to unleash having been sidelined for almost seven months, although he is no more than hopeful of playing at Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
“It’s been pretty frustrating. This is the longest injury break I’ve had throughout my career. It’s been enjoyable having a break but it’s sort of been frustrating sitting on the sideline seeing how well the team has been doing. I got back and played 70 minutes two weeks ago and had to sit out last week with a bit of tendonitis. But, in terms of my fitness, I’m feeling good and hopefully with medical help in Toulon this coming week I’ll be good to go for the weekend.”
Habana’s impressions of Toulon in his first season since joining from the Stormers belie the image of a club that are an expensive collection of mercenary guns for hire collecting one last big pay day.
“The first seven or so months were frustrating sitting on the sidelines, but being able to work with guys like Jonny (Wilkinson) and Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell and being able to see players that have achieved pretty much everything in their careers, still putting in a huge amount of work off the field, the work ethic they have is unbelievable. So it was pretty special, the team environment is pretty awesome. The language is rather tough and I’m still trying to get that sorted. It’s a slow process.
“People have been saying over the years that it’s a place where players just come to retire but the guys put in an unbelievable amount of work and are insanely professional which for me, still wanting to achieve things of maybe going to the World Cup, has played a pretty important role.
“And I think the competition for places over the last three or four months, after a pretty mediocre start to the season, and the guys wanting to perform has really pulled through and that’s made the level of play over the last couple of months really fantastic to watch.
“Guys have put their bodies on the line. The skills levels have been up there with some of the best I’ve been a part of. So it’s been great for us to push for places and hopefully in the next six or so weeks we can continue doing that.”
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