Bryan Habana has thanked his record-breaking predecessor Joost van der Westhuizen for the late night phone call to mark Habana’s new Springbok try-scoring record.
Habana scored his 39th test try against Namibia in Auckland on Thursday. It moved him ahead of previous record holder Joost van der Westhuizen with whom he had shared the record for a number of months.
“It was very humbling and incredibly generous of Joost to take the trouble to call me and congratulate me on the new mark,” Habana told www.sarugby.co.za.
“He called just before midnight last night (Monday) from Dubai to pass on his best wishes and to celebrate the new record. It was a very thoughtful thing of him to do, considering his own health issues, and just shows what a great Springbok he truly was and is.”
Van der Westhuizen scored his 38 tries in 89 tests while Habana’s new mark came in 17 fewer Tests.