FORMER WORLD CHAMPION and world player of the year Bryan Habana of South Africa is set to finalise a two-year deal with European champions Toulon on Tuesday, the club have revealed.
The 30-year-old Western Province winger who has appeared 86 times for the ‘Springboks’ and helped lead the team to their second World Cup in 2007 says it was hard to leave his homeland but is relishing the challenge.
“It is heartbreaking to leave my native country, but the opportunity to judge myself against other opposition in a new environment was hard to refuse,” said Habana, who was South African player of the year in 2005, 2007 and 2012.
He was also world player of the year in 2007 when they beat England in the World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris.
He will join compatriots Bakkies Botha as well as fellow forwards Danie Rossouw and Joe Van Niekerk at the southern-based club who lost the French championship final against Castres.
He is set to be presented to the home fans on Thursday alongwith All Black second-row forward Ali Williams who also won the World Cup in 2011 and has appeared 77 times for New Zealand.
