Amid the debris of the international rugby season, there is some light.

When Bryan Habana scrambled over against the All Blacks a fortnight ago, he added to his extraordinary try tally (66). Doing so did more than push him closer to the outright record; it reaffirmed him as a national treasure.

The Boks may be getting hammered or falling off a cliff. No matter. Habana is always there, mucking in, getting his hands dirty, making us proud, even as the twilight beckons.

At the start of the season, he spoke of “vindicating” his selection, making it clear that he didn’t want to be selected on sentiment or past glories. He only wanted to be chosen if he was demonstrably the best in his position.

His form has waxed and waned over the years, but Habana’s enthusiasm has never dimmed and he remains that most valuable of commodities: a match winner. His selection has long been the easiest of all.

Those with a preference for hair-splitting will say he is not as explosive as he once was, or that he has lost his deadly instincts for chance-taking, but that would be to ignore his more contemporary qualities like bringing a sense of calm and organisation to the backline. He also works tremendously hard off the ball, scrapping and scraping as hard as the hardest loose forward. He still has a nose for the try-line too.

His enthusiasm is undimmed, as I was reminded in a tweet he sent out on Tuesday. The accompanying picture showed him in a schoolboy match for King Edward 16 years ago, darting around as a scrumhalf. “Wonderful memories,” he wrote.

It was all there, in a single exuberant image; his cavalier style, his cheeky break, his wonderful chance-taking.

Habana has played a staggering 121 Test matches for the Springboks. Think about that for a moment. In a country where thousands of young boys aspire to be Springboks he not only rose to the top, he stuck around.

It has been 12 years since he made his debut against England at Twickenham, scoring with his first touch no less, and in that time he’s outlasted 11 other players who have worn the number 11 jersey at some point across those dozen years. Inevitably, they got their chance when Habana was injured, but none of Breyton Paulse, Wynand Olivier, Frans Steyn, JP Pietersen, Jaco Pretorius, Ashwin Willemse, Jongi Nokwe, Odwa Ndungane, Lwazi Mvovo, Francois Hougaard or Bjorn Basson was ever able to unseat him for a reasonable length of time.

They all came in, did their duty, but it was always on the basis that they were merely keeping the spot warm for his return. They had their virtues, but none offered the sumptuous all-round package Habana did.

If Frik du Preez was named Player of the Century for the most recent epoch, Habana would surely be among the top three were a modern all-time greatest be chosen from South Africa.

His sheer body of work, which includes being named world player of the year, would thrust him into a straight race between Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez, all giants of their age and legendary Springboks by any reckoning.

Let’s not forget, too, his standing as a talisman for black rugby. In a country desperately short of real heroes, Habana is a mighty one. Everything he has done has been defined by excellence and there has never been salacious scandal about him. Just about the worst thing he ever did in a Springbok jersey was produce a dive that Neymar would have been proud of. He was quick to apologise.

There was also that yellow card against Australia in the recent World Cup, down more to over-exuberance rather than cynicism.

He’s now 33, positively in his dotage as a wing for whom pace remains the most treasured asset. He’s not as quick as he once was and he’s clearly nearing the end of his career, notwithstanding the fine work he still does for the Springboks and for Toulon.

He will doubtless be signing off soon. These are dark days for the Springboks, but let’s celebrate Habana, who continues to excite and enthrall. – © Sunday Tribune