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Habana wins player of the year award

Springbok winger Bryan Habana was on Wednesday named South Africa's Rugby Player of the Year, beating off the challenges of fellow World Cup winning teammates Victor Matfield, Juan Smith, Fourie du Preez and Percy Montgomery.

Habana also won the award in 2005, while scrumhalf Du Preez picked up the prize last year. It has been a fairytale year for the 24-year-old who plays for the Northern Bulls in the southern hemisphere inter-provincial Super 14 competition.

Habana also picked up the prize for Try of the Year at the annual Rugby Player of the Year awards banquet held in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. His match-winning try for the Bulls in the Super 14 final against the Coastal Sharks was deemed the best of the bunch.

The Bulls' victory in Durban was their first title triumph in the Super 14 competition.

To go with his Super 14 and World Cup winners medals, Habana was also named the International Rugby Board's Player of the Year following the World Cup in France.

He scored a record-equalling eight tries in the tournament and was hailed as the Springbok hero and the world's newest star.

Habana, however, did not walk away with everything on Wednesday night. There was a consolation prize for Du Preez, who was named his country's top Super 14 player, while Coastal Sharks and Springbok center Francois Steyn was named South Africa's Most Promising star.

PLAYERS' PLAYER

Central Cheetahs flyhalf, Willem de Waal, whose provincial team won the local domestic championship, the Currie Cup, was named the competition's best player, while he also picked up the award for Players' Player of the Year, voted for by his fellow professional players in South African rugby

Veteran referee Jonathan Kaplan won the prize for South African referee of the year.

Reuters, JOHANNESBURG

Injured World Cup winning fullback Percy Montgomery, retired prop Os Du Randt and exiled flyhalf Butch James will miss world champions South Africa's tour of Britain later this month.

The trio, part of the side that beat England 15-6 in last month's World Cup final, were not included in the squad named on Wednesday to meet Wales in Cardiff on Nov. 24 and the Barbarians at Twickenham on Dec. 1.

Montgomery, who kicked 12 of the Springboks' points in the Paris final, was ruled out by injury along with prop BJ Botha and center Jean de Villiers, also members of the victorious World Cup squad.

IN ENGLAND

James has left South Africa to play for Bath in the English Premiership.

Conrad Jantjes has been picked to replace Montgomery while Andre Pretorius, who was in the World Cup squad, is favored to inherit James's number 10 jersey.

Uncapped prop Heinke van der Merwe, 22, has been rewarded for his impressive performances in domestic competitions this season with a place in the tour squad.

Forwards: John Smit (captain), Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Johann Muller, Danie Rossouw, Juan Smith, Gurthro Steenkamp, Albert van den Berg, Wickus van Heerden, CJ van der Linde and Heinke van der Merwe.

Backs: Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Conrad Jantjes, Ricky Januarie, Wayne Julies, Akona Ndungane, Wynand Olivier, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Andre Pretorius and Francois Steyn.
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