Springbok great Bryan Habana expects a brutal battle when the Vodacom Bulls take on the Glasgow Warriors in the Investec Champions Cup last 16.
Habana, who won back-to-back European titles with Toulon – one of the most dominant club sides in history – warned just how tough these fixtures can be. But he believes the Bulls are starting to fire at just the right time and can pull off the win.
“It’s probably the toughest club competition to win in world rugby. Becoming a winner of the Investec Champions Cup is so, so tough,” Habana said on the Keo & Zels show.
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Habana came into a Toulon side that had just won the Champions Cup and proceeded to complete a hat-trick of titles – including a season that featured a European and Top 14 double.
The winger featured alongside fellow Springboks Bakkies Botha, Joe van Niekerk, Jonny Wilkinson, Carl Hayman, Ali Williams, Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell in a star-studded Toulon team.
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Having experienced the intensity of European knockout rugby first-hand, Habana believes conditions in Scotland will play a major role on Saturday.
“Glasgow is going to be miserable,” he said. “Cold, wet, windy – it becomes a game where the forwards need to rumble. As a winger, I hated those conditions because you’re just standing there freezing.”
The Bulls travel to Scotstoun to face a well-drilled Glasgow side under Franco Smith, who Habana knows well.
“What Franco has done there has been incredible,” he said. “It’s never easy going into a completely different environment culturally, but he’s put his stamp on that team and brought success.”
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Despite that, Habana sees encouraging signs in the Bulls’ recent form.
“They’ve been a bit topsy-turvy, it’s been volatile, but they’ve really started to show glimpses of that Bulls heritage that became so successful in that winning spell – three Super Rugby titles between 2007 and 2010, and a dominant force in the Currie Cup in the early 2010s.
“They’ll take confidence from last week [34-31 win over Munster at Loftus Versfeld]. That 50:22 from Willie le Roux to close out the game was massive. It gives them momentum.”
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Habana expects a close contest, shaped by territory and discipline.
“It’s going to be tight,” he said. “Opportunities are limited in these games, especially away from home. You’ve got to be clinical and you’ve got to win the physical battle.”
While acknowledging Glasgow’s strong home record, Habana is backing the Bulls to edge it. Pressed for a prediction, he said: “I’m going Bulls by eight, just enough so that a try won’t win it!”
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The post Habana backs Bulls in tight Scotstoun scrap appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Springbok great Bryan Habana expects a brutal battle when the Vodacom Bulls take on the Glasgow Warriors in the Investec Champions Cup last 16.
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