AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Bryan Habana hopes his record-setting try for South Africa on Thursday perks up the man he eclipsed, Joost van der Westhuizen, who is fighting a fatal motor neurone disease.
Habana finally left behind Van der Westhuizen after sharing the record for 15 months, when he scored his 39th test try in the 22nd minute of the Springboks' 87-0 romp over Namibia in the Rugby World Cup.
Van der Westhuizen, a World Cup winner in 1995, retired as one of the greatest Springboks after the 2003 Cup with a record 38 tries. In July, the 40-year-old Van der Westhuizen confirmed he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and was given less than five years to live.
"It's a great privilege and honor to go past such a great player, and I hope this gives him a boost to get through what he's going through," Habana said. "The whole team is very empathetic to what he's going through and we send all our best to him."
Habana had to endure a career-worst 11 tests without scoring since mid-2010, with the pressure from supporters growing with every scoreless test. But when the opportunity finally came, thanks to a cut-out pass from Danie Rossouw which put him in the clear, Habana slid across the line and hardly reacted on the field.
"All I could think about was that I needed to go and thank Danie for the little pass that got me there," he said.
Captain John Smit gave Habana a congratulatory rub of the head and said he didn't say anything because he was tired after running from halfway to catch up with the winger. But he knew what the try meant to Habana and the team.
"It's a monkey off his back," Smit said. "Everyone's been talking about why he hasn't scored after every game, and everyone's got on his back. But they don't have anything to talk about now."
Smit, who played with Van der Westhuizen, said the record should make South Africans appreciate the scrumhalf even more, as well as Habana.
"Now that he's got the record out of the way, I'm sure we'll see a new Bryan, and I'm sure he's going to open up the game and score many more," Smit added. "We know how much he's dedicated himself to the team and how hard he works, so this record is well deserved."
Habana admitted the try was a long time coming, but he shrugged off talk that not scoring for so long was weighing on his mind or form.
"A lot of people were more worried about it than me," he said.
"First, I have to thank the man upstairs for blessing me with an amazing talent that lets me represent my country. I'm living the dream. Secondly, I have to thank my teammates and coaching staff — without them these 39 tries would mean nothing.
"I'm thankful I can contribute to this Springboks team, and I'm looking forward to going on and scoring a few more tries."
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