{"id":159,"date":"2018-04-24T14:38:17","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T12:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.247bets.co.za\/blog\/?p=159"},"modified":"2025-04-01T13:01:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T11:01:16","slug":"habana-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.247bets.org\/blog\/habana-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Habana announces retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Springbok has announced their exit from not just International Rugby but club rugby. Bryan Habana is the latest Bok to go into retirement after Hougaard made the decision last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Habana one of South Africas darlings in Rugby is the all-time leading try scorer, he has scored 67 times in just 124 tests.\u00a0 He announced on Instagram that the time has come for him to retire from all rugby at the end of the season, age 34.<\/p>\n

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So it\u2019s my turn to say Thank You: . The inevitable moment has come knocking on my door and I\u2019ve welcomed it in for a drink. . It\u2019s 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\u2019s unfortunately just not to be. I, like most, would have liked my career to have ended differently, but sometimes things don\u2019t turn out quite the way we hope for. . So at the end of this season, it\u2019s 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\u2019ve flown by or even begin to describe how amazing the journey has been is impossible. . I would though like to express my gratitude: . \u2022 First and foremost, to God for blessing me with the talent to play this beautiful game. \u2022 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. \u2022 To my family and friends, far and wide, who wore their hearts on their sleeves as much as I did. \u2022 To the coaches, team-mates, medical and support staff in all the teams I was involved in. \u2022 To every opponent that made the battle tough and worthwhile. \u2022 To all my sponsors over the years who believed in me enough to support me on the journey. \u2022 To the fans, who make the game what it is. \u2022 To the critics, not to prove you wrong but so that I could prove to myself I could. \u2022 To the media, who take the game to households the world over. \u2022 To the lessons learnt, through the good times and the bad. \u2022 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: \u201cmemories are all we have.\u201d And I\u2019m immensely grateful for the memories I take with me into the next chapter. . With much respect . BH11<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Bryan Habana<\/a> (@bryanhabana_) on