Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Takudzwa Ngwenya smokes Bryan Habana
If you've been on another planet for the past few days you may not have heard of this guy. So let me introduce you to the young man the entire rugby world has been talking about - Takudzwa Ngwenya.
Otherwise known as Z, Ngwenya is the 22 year old Zimbabwean born flyer who, on Sunday night against the Springboks left Bok speedster Bryan Habana for dead, scoring a fantastic USA Eagles try that will live long in the memory as a World Cup classic.
Z not only finished off a length of the field break that started with Todd Clever's intercept, but he also did something that to my knowledge no other man has ever done on the international stage - he ran around Bryan Habana.
And since then, the phonecalls haven't stopped, with him already having been approached by two English clubs. A move to Europe looks on the cards for sure.
Radiologist Ngwenya is modest about the moment of the World Cup so far.
"I was thinking of kicking but then I thought I would try and get him to stop, and then gas him out wide," Ngwenya said. "And he did stop. It's not that I'm fast, I just got him to stop so that worked pretty well. I knew he would be annoyed. If I got beaten by a slower person, I'd be annoyed."
"He (Habana) is the best winger in the world," Ngwenya said. "I was intimidated every time he got the ball. If you look at the video or saw the game live, I was just yelling 'come on, come on'. I was intimidated. I didn't want to leave him one on one with me - and luckily I didn't."
Ngwenya describes the two speedsters' meeting after the match:
"He just said, 'Nice job', and 'Sorry about the bump'.
"Sorry about the bump" referring to the headclash that between them early in the second half.
All in all, a great match and nice to see the USA being so actively involved in the World Cup. For the first time they look to have a true rugby superstar, who scored a try that will not be forgotten any time soon and will hopefully raise the status of the odd balled game in the US.
Final score: 64-15 to South Africa
Posted at 8:57 am | 133 comments
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Posted in Great Tries
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Viewing 133 comments
Anonymous October 02, 2007 9:15 am
WTF?????????????????? holy sh..t!!! he just smoked him, and thats ONLY the fastes and best winger on the world...and what about that hand off on big man Butch James??? beautiful try!!!
Anonymous October 02, 2007 10:14 am
best try of the tournament so far and its gonna be pretty hard to top that... lol interesting to note that the ngwenya is actually pullin away from habana....commentators wrong tho, apparently masaga has rounded habana b4 and ive seen muliana do it as well
Anonymous October 02, 2007 10:30 am
Wow!!!! i was excited about ngwenya after he scored against samoa. being a winger myself i love this try! truly brilliant. i hope he come to europe so i can see more of him. mark
pedro October 02, 2007 10:49 am
Hands down the best try of the tournament so far.Its got team work, speed, a massive hand-off and a superb sprint from the winger to top it all off.And against the Bocks for my personal joy and pleasure! Hehe!
Anonymous October 02, 2007 10:56 am
This is a huge try for US Rugby. It still has not made the news here back at home which is a shame but what a huge try. I hope he plays in Europe and I hope some more US players get the nod as well. It would be nice to have a better qualified team for New Zealand next time.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 11:49 am
Great counter attack. Great finish, but I think the first ball carriers (whom I don't know) deserves a special notice: - interception on the line - 40m breakthrough - Finds support without going down
James October 02, 2007 11:54 am
anonymous said...It still has not made the news here back at homeReally?What a shame.Brilliant try that could do a lot to promote the game.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 11:59 am
This guy is fast as f00k. Holy crap.... Can't wait to see him burn out other wingers in european rugby. The try as a whole was pretty special.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 1:27 pm
He is much faster in person. I played against him once and WOW! Don't blink.
Joshua October 02, 2007 2:00 pm
Being from the Dallas area I have gotten to see this man move and let me tell you there is a lot more where that came from. Z has the ability to make it in one of the club circuits (although I wish the US would hurry and get our own leagues going). I would love for Munster to pick him up (wishful thinking)
Anonymous October 02, 2007 2:41 pm
To be fair, (about the first comment!) Bryan Habana isnt the best winger in the world! but anyway thats beside the point, this guy is seriously pacey, it looked for a moment like he was gonna run out of room and run over the dead ball line!Awesome video, i would love to see him an Bryan in a 100m sprint! would be awesome
Cheyanqu October 02, 2007 2:59 pm
Todd Clever (Mssr. Stiff-Arm) appeared previously on Rugbydump. He was the yank who dump-tackled the Kenyan player in the 2007 7s USA 7s tournament.Z has had a rough go from many critics and fans for much of the tournament.This try should get him the contract he needs to work on his weaknesses (defense, hands), and elminate all the refrains after people say "yeah he's fast, but ..."Great try. Despite the 0-4 record, this RWC makes me proud to play rugby in America.Now time to root for my other homeland.. Los Pumas.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 3:17 pm
the only reason he got past habana is because habana stopped!!!it was still a gd try though.HABANA IS STILL THE FASTEST MAN IN WORLD RUGBY 2DAY
Anonymous October 02, 2007 3:19 pm
habana would tank ngwenya in a 100m sprinthabana races cheetahs in 100m sprints
Karl October 02, 2007 3:20 pm
I've played against Z before as well..and I can remember when he had no hands and no pass, however, I can't fathom his running style i mean he moves from one side to the other in forward motion like nothing else! If he's in open field it's over. The English better call him up fast or the NFL will be recruiting punt returners!
Anonymous October 02, 2007 3:38 pm
after the game, eddie jones offered him a one month deal at saracens, which ngwenya accepted, apparently...mmmm...ngwenya vs tom varndell could be an exciting prospect..
Jim October 02, 2007 3:57 pm
I think you'll find Z is faster than Habanna if you check out their stats over the 100m! Z runs the hundred in about 10s!!!!!However, Habanna is good in defense and Z did well with the 4 or 5 side steps to make him stop!p.s. AWESOME hand-off :)
Anonymous October 02, 2007 4:02 pm
Karl is right but, he still has no hands!!!Fast Guy but noooooo hands.He will get destroyed in England or France or whereever he ends up.Well done to the boy though. i wish him luck.
Jim October 02, 2007 4:14 pm
guys check out Habanna racing the Cheetah here! Awesome rugby player and I think it shows he's also a great bloke as well.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_iAQXyDJns
View Video
View Video
Anonymous October 02, 2007 4:43 pm
Try playing against him. He ran through our entire team like we were standing still. He's also a great guy to have a conversation with.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 4:45 pm
Zee is a great player and will only get better. His days down here in Dallas, TX with DARC rugby were only the beginning for him. Heck, i played with him for a few years and watched him score 6 trys in one game vs. New Orleans, and they were a strong side.Best of luck Zee!!!!! dozer
LOGAN CHANDLER October 02, 2007 5:06 pm
I THINK THIS FELLA WOULD OUT RUN A CHEATER AND DAY! THATS PROBABLY HOW HE TRAINED BAK HOME AS A YOUNGSTER HAHA! GASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSED!
Anonymous October 02, 2007 5:36 pm
neva thought tht anyone could smoke Habana but this guy deserved it good on ya Z put Habana back in his box
Smidy October 02, 2007 7:34 pm
Well lets take a look at that try carefully... You will notice that When Z gets to Habana, he was full speed swirving all over causing Habana to atand still. Z already was flat out, and Habana was at his start and manage to still get to close to flat speed in a few seconds. Z is a great talent but looking at that try his mind and intelegence made him lucky and not that much his speed. He also admitted in the aftermach interview that he wanted to bring Habana to a stop wile He is still moving, that created the gap and it didnt open that much though. It was beautiful to get a chalenge to Habana and everybody makes mistakes. Google Bryan Habana and world fastest rugby players, you will see that Habana is not the fastest though but he is the Fastest in international rugby with 10.40 and Z with 10.50. wich is not a big difference, about 1 meter.. Think about that.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 8:34 pm
The best part is Murray Mexted's comment on Alex Parker - "up fat man's alley!". That's a classic. Also the best hand-off I've seen in years, well done the US for giving it a go!
Sea-Bass October 02, 2007 8:51 pm
We have a new best try of the tourney! Japan got bumped off and the US have stolen it. Great try, it has everything and what a hand-off... Wicked!
Anonymous October 02, 2007 9:11 pm
I say Jason Robinson smokes them both! Haha :P
Anonymous October 02, 2007 10:26 pm
@ smidy: Bryan says he hasn't been timed over 100ms since school. Which was 11secs flat on a stopwatch. Chavanga is quicker then them all! But who gives a damn really? All the top wingers are quick enough IMO, its more than just the speed. The margins are so small.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 10:32 pm
Spies ran a 10.6 apparently (before he bulked up), he stopped athletics to play wing for the bulls and now plays at 8th man.. A pity about his illness.
Anonymous October 02, 2007 11:40 pm
Whoooooooooooooooo hooooooooo!!!!!What a player!
Mike October 03, 2007 2:16 am
DARC Rugby at its finest...Thank you Zee for making me proud to play for DARC...and he is the fastest man on the pitch in the world
G-unit. October 03, 2007 2:38 am
Yep! got my vote for try of the tournament!!! The boks are pretty good on D too... And yes, shame Spies isn't at the tournament, he would of dominated!!! You'll miss him in the final, when the Boks will play the All Blacks!!! I hope Lauaki gets to play!!! Being sidelined, what a joke...
Anonymous October 03, 2007 3:15 am
Love that try so much, step lasted about 50 yards
Smidy October 03, 2007 3:47 am
@anonymoushttp://au.messages.yahoo.com/sports/rugby-discussion/1739?p=4Bryan Habana for sure..does the 100m in about 10.4 sec. The thing you have to understand is that when you put these speedsters on a rugby field its ...Go and read, and yea I did mention that he is not the fastest in rugby.... But does Tonderai Chevangi play international rugby at the moment. Oh and I know Habana and Pierre Spies personally, met Habana through my uncle that was a IRB rugby referee ( Tappe Henning- retierd ) and I met Pierre through a friend that knows him from school. And between me and you Pierre is quick as hell and he did a 10.8 in High school. But lets rather put them to test as soon as that ball is behind the try line and Both is chasing neck to neck on down the field for atleast 50 m..
Anonymous October 03, 2007 6:19 am
Wow, He is fast!!!But look again, he was on speed already, and look even closer, Habana was busy gaining on him , but had to dive cos he was running out of timr/space....so no, i wouldnt say he "Smoked" habana. But yes, what a great try from a NON-AMERICAN thank goodnes.
Anonymous October 03, 2007 7:35 am
Habana's got lightning acceleration. This guy does have plenty of potential I think he's only 22 as well. So he's got plenty of tiem to improve
Anonymous October 03, 2007 8:52 am
come on guys,... I'm not american but whats all this about Habana having a standing start and trying to defend him.. theres nothing to defend. He got done!!I personally think Habana is a great player and would make a world IV at the present time, but this Z guy used his head.... and he did smoke him out. Shows how much thought is involved in being on the wing. Great potentiol for a player and has my vote as try of the tournament.... always good to see a nice hand off as well. Funny as hell watching old Butch land on his arse. hahahaha.
Northy October 03, 2007 9:22 am
It wasnt just the speed that made this try awesome... it was the fact that he MADE Habanna heitate which gave him enough space to put the burners on and run round him! Habbana plays at a much higher standard than Z and so should have doen better, forget who is fastest, he made habanna look like nothing more than an average winger!my opinion anyway
Anonymous October 03, 2007 11:28 am
God... wish that guy came to South Africa instead of the US... i never knew someone was faster than Habana!! Best try so farWill
Tobylerone October 03, 2007 12:45 pm
yeh guys northy's point is definately valid, at the end of the day this is rugby, not a 100 metre sprint, in the game you use every advantage and skill you have and at the end of the day habana got done!! great video!
Anonymous October 03, 2007 6:16 pm
to the doopy git touchdown is in americain football where they are all puffs and run around wearing armour here we call it a TRY!!! plonker!!!Come on England
Anonymous October 03, 2007 7:25 pm
Good Job Z. What a great try by the eagles. I think Bryan is the best winger in the world. Why else would there be so much attention drawn to this try. You dont see anything like "Z smokes Doug Howlett" or "Z makes Tuqiri look bad" or something like that. Good job mr Z, you gave us a big talking point. But rugby is more than having speed. You need much more skill and guts.
Anonymous October 03, 2007 9:46 pm
I reckon asafa powell would smoke zee.. Im not sure though...
Christopher October 03, 2007 9:49 pm
All he did was wait for Habana to be flat footed, or even on his heels, and then bursted the opposite direction. I say Habana is faster, but he just got juked, no big deal, it happens. And yes, that dude is tall and skinny, so once he gets one big hit laid on him, he is done for.
Anonymous October 04, 2007 2:54 am
Great try, probably both have similar pace if you ran them over 100m, although I think Habanna has quicker acceleration but maybe not such top speed. Anyway England had some ex track guy Tom Varndell on their wing last season, stood up Lote Tuqiri, although thats all he could do and well Lote had his revenge and man handled him later on. He no longer is on the english team. Point being you need a well rounded wing, someone who is strong enough to run with someone hanging off them, and someone who can defend well.
Anonymous October 04, 2007 12:49 pm
Damn, he a quick fella, bunrt Habana off, left him 4 dead! Love It!!
Anonymous October 04, 2007 3:02 pm
of course he's not a better wing than habana but he is fast as shit off the shovel and has a great step. huge amount of potential. he probably hasn't been playing under the most professional coaching structure which will hopefully change when he gets over to sarries.
french doctor October 04, 2007 3:46 pm
Wooppsss Habana stopped his race and that made the difference. Good job of the U.S. winger who disturb Habana with his steps in - steps out !
Anonymous October 04, 2007 4:00 pm
Hmmm, I have to admit, that was one good try. But the stupid Anonymous (October 02, 2007 4:41 PM) that said Habana is not the best winger, You definitely haven't seen him in action bro, and you definitely don't know your Rugby... And the reason why ngwenya pulled away is because he was already running half to full pace. Habana, on the other hand, stopped, and then started running when ngwenya was next to him. Check the replay faggit! Shit, Ngwenya scored one good try, and now apparently Habana sucks or his not the best wing anymore...
Anonymous October 04, 2007 4:05 pm
My,my... I can bet that half of you support the either the Wannabies, the All Fags, or the Sharks... LMAO!
Anonymous October 04, 2007 4:42 pm
In Reply to Anonymous (October 04, 2007 6:05 PM) Bro, I couldn't agree more... If South Africa does go through to the final of the WC'07 ( which I personally think they will) and some people here do support the Sharks, they will Praise Habana if he scores the winning try in WC'07...
Anonymous October 05, 2007 12:11 am
Massive hand-off on such a physical guy as butch james... and outspeed habana? thats some nice sh*t
Anonymous October 05, 2007 11:48 am
notice how todd clever actually looked out for someone to hand off, there was literally no one near him, he just had to do it. poor butch james
Anonymous October 05, 2007 11:53 am
Z needs to be put on the juice for some much needed weight and strength.
Northy October 05, 2007 12:33 pm
Just gonna throw this one out there then guys...Lomu or Habbana???????????
Anonymous October 05, 2007 2:27 pm
I am South African - and I say this Zimbabwean beat him fair and square. No two ways about it. I'm a huge fan of Bryan - and even more so after seeing Bryan go shake his hand after the game to tell him well done. It just had to be another southern african to beat one of rugby union's most dangerous game breakers in the world. Kudu's to Ngwenya - hope to see more of him in the future. I'm sure Habana would love another go at defending against him. :)
Anonymous October 05, 2007 3:03 pm
Northy, Habanna isn't even in the top ten wingers ever... yet. Habanna is definitely not the full package, especially in physicality - nowhere near Lomu - and there will never be another Jonah either.Don't get me wrong, Habanna is very good, but hes not even as fast as Tom Varndell, and Joe Rocokoko is a more complete player.
Anonymous October 05, 2007 9:04 pm
Lomu never scored a try against South Africa. Big bulldozer against speed and skill. Sorry Lomu, you lose! Doug
Smidy October 05, 2007 11:49 pm
Well I left a few coments already...Let me just help this statements.... Johna Lomu was good but the only country to stop Johna was South africa.... Bryan is going to score in the final against New Zeeland.... And he is two tries away to breaking Johna Lomu world cup record... That would put him 3 steps infront of Lomu.. 1 Just plain speed... 2 Try in world cup Final...3 Most tries in a world cup ever..I know 1 thing for shure if Lomu couldnt run over James Small or Joost van der Westhuizen he wont get over Habana, and not even thinking wat would happen if Lomu and Habana were chasing down the line both full speed to the ball behind the try line..Just give it some thought.. Oh yea about Joe Rocothoco Bring him on...
Anonymous October 06, 2007 1:36 am
To "I'm a South African"...I couldn't agree with you more... Ngwenya did a fantastic job.. it was a fantastic try... "kudu's" to him. But Habana was defending, and standing still at one point. Don't get me wrong, I'm from Zim, and think the "Zee" is quicker than anything I've seen in a long time, but IMHO Habana is STILL the boy. He might not be as big as Lomu, but he's quicker than Roko, and cleverer to. But Ngwenya doing 10.5 over 100 is certainly pretty impressive! Pity he wasn't snapped up by a southern African Super 14 team!
laurence October 06, 2007 4:40 am
habana is good.. but he got burnt. stop making excuses for him, he even admitted to getting beat by z. habana godd but z was just better
Anonymous October 06, 2007 9:39 am
Don't know why so many people are defending Habana. Of course he is a better player generally but let Z have his glory - Habana, you got done - for once.
Anonymous October 07, 2007 6:07 am
so much about habana being smoked...its just too bad Fiji's Rupeni Caucau isn't in the world cup, 4 sum disciplinery shit.i personally think he wud have scored sum awsome tries, just like he did in 2003. Shud watch him play in his club game, dangit, give him just a little space and he's gone...
MerckZ October 07, 2007 9:43 am
That was an incredible step, it wasn't so much that he was beaten for pace, but an incredible gazelle-like step. Ngwenya was reminiscent of an Impala/Springbok/Thomson's Gazelle evading a Cheetah (Habana). Habana is still the best wing in the world (and I'm a Sharks supporter!). Strong on defence, mind-blowing pace, a working brain (unlike a lot of South African rugby players) and a big upper-body. He is the all-round player. I didn't hate him in the S14 final. I cried, but I never felt any hate...
MerckZ October 07, 2007 9:55 am
Hercus deserves more credit though, he was phenomenal the whole tournament for the Eagles.
edders October 07, 2007 1:36 pm
this is bollocksa real life cheetah would burn habana then eat himtheir the fastest animals in the world
Anonymous October 09, 2007 12:28 am
First off, excellent try fair & square.2nd off, "and will hopefully raise the status of the odd balled game in the US"The sad reason why the status of rugby will not be raised in the US is because the TV coverage is on Lockdown. Unless you have $20 per game & the time off to spare you will not be able to see it! Not even the highlights!If you subscribe thru the IRB site you could apparently watch limited matches & coverage for $50...provided you have a PC with that capability.If you have a Mac you will NOT be able to view it, which they don't make clear as you purchase the ltd package.So the worlds most viewed Sporting event The Olympics, is free on National TV; Soccer is 2nd & is also Free on national TV, Rugby is 3rd & most definitely is NOT Free in the US.Perhaps Golf, American football, basketball & Baseball are 4th & they are also free i believe, so Rugby only has itself to blame if the profile is not raised in the US. The average person can't see it let alone the highlights.On a side note for the English "plonker". So what if he said "Touchdown" we all knew what he meant. Not the sharpest knife in the Drawer are you. What is it about clowns like you; are you insecure about your size?Always desperate to point a finger @ the US when you guys have been close to number 1 in the world's worst behaviour. Right now your licking George Bush's boot's. That's a good look there, Squire ;D And so what if they wear pads that's the game and why rougher play is permitted. If wasn't for the little insecure boy's like you English Fan's would have a more respectable name in the World. Doesn't your kind belong in Football / Soccer.I belive it was Jesus "Smoking" Christ, who played fly half for the Corinthians on that great big Rugby field in the sky, famously said "Let he who is without sin, Cast the first stone."Yes Z played for the US & the US made it possible for him to shine & he repayed it, zero TV coverage & all.
Anonymous October 09, 2007 4:28 am
Habana better than Lomu?did I just read that??You must be kidding - we're weighing up a guy who revolutionised the wing position against a pure finisher?Habana is amazing - but better than Lomu? no wayAnd as for Zee outpacing him - maybe he did, maybe he didn't...(seeing as everyone keeps whining how Habana went from a standstill) but regardless, he got around him, and had the juice to go for the line. Everytime Habana does that to an opponent, all we hear about is his lightning pace - so give it a rest - he got beaten this time
Anonymous October 10, 2007 9:29 am
To the loud mouth american who actually made some good points about why rugby struggles for coverage. Why bring politics into to a website about rugby "licking george bushes boots" my arse. With out "Phoney" Blairs backing of 2 illegal wars Mr "i want to be my like my daddy" Bush would now be facing charges of starting an illegal war, personnally having seen first hand "our" handy work in both countries I hope the pair of them do. Anyway back to the rugby, great hand off great step and proof that the second tier teams are inproving all the time.
Hendrick October 11, 2007 2:43 am
Go USA the Talent is there the coaching isn't.
Cheyanqu October 11, 2007 3:11 pm
anonymous,I thought "Jesus Can't Play Rugby"... for a whole variety of reasons I won't get into.
Cheyanqu October 11, 2007 3:11 pm
anonymous,I thought "Jesus Can't Play Rugby"... for a whole variety of reasons I won't get into.
Mitch October 12, 2007 10:33 pm
wow wowtry time ok.shows how the 'minnows' could come together with more funding and commercial exposurehopefully that made the springboks a little less arroganthe's gotta get signed for a European club that winger surely?
Don October 14, 2007 7:54 am
Too much talk...Ngwenya beat Habana HANDS DOWN.Y'all Boks just deal with it and stop with the "Habana sprints cheetahs" ctap.
Anonymous October 14, 2007 9:39 pm
Great try from the winger, stood up Habana and burnt around him, just like Habana has done to many other wingers. I rate Habana as the best winger in the world at the moment however I do think this guy is quicker in a straight line sprint! There was no way Habana was going to catch Ngwenya when he got a yard ahead and was running flat out, the desperation dive testifies to that. Habana has exceptional acceleration which often takes him away from defenders but I don't think he has the best top end speed over longer distances. He only has a recorded 100m time of around 11 seconds flat, as mentioned on the cheetah video and this is pretty ordinary for a top class winger particularly as he is lightning off the mark! Having said this Habana is a great winger and Ngwenya has a long way to go to be in his league.
Bobby #15 October 14, 2007 10:37 pm
WOW !! there's not a lot of people who can out run bryan habana great try!!
Anonymous October 15, 2007 1:25 pm
both are really quick, but will never beat fijian winger rupeni caucaunibuca, habana runs 11, in his prime caucau ran 10.7. I saw him play not long ago for Agen in France, even tho he looked abit out of shape he was easily the most impressive and quickest player on the field, id like to see all 3 in a sprint
Anonymous October 16, 2007 10:41 am
Ngwenya could beat Caucau in a sprint, and despite what people are saying he is faster than Hanbana, it's got nothing to do with Habana stopping, it's to do with Hgwenyas' speed. Can't quite remember where i read it but he was colleage sprinter in the US who's PB was around 10.3, now Habana is nowhere near that quick. Also there are plenty of players out there quicker than habana, most of them get stuk playing sevens and never make it high up or international standard, but watch the 7's circuit and there are faster players than Hanbana out there.But Handana is still the best wing in the world either him, or Caucau when he's on form.
Anonymous October 16, 2007 7:39 pm
nice try ngwenya.....habana is pretty gd but he just run straight around him. its all aload of shit saying tht he had a stand still start. but he wud hav been beat anyway.cummon england...we will beat the south africans on saturday. habana and pietersen will break their legs. lets lit this trophy 4 the second time lads. woooooooooohoooooooooooooo
Anonymous October 18, 2007 2:53 pm
first of al habana was facing forward and ngwenya was at full pelt on going past habana, yet habanas acceleration got him right up to ngwenya, if habana hada just kept running for a second more he would of had the tackle. watch it again people, just check out habanas acceleration.
Rory October 18, 2007 9:01 pm
I love the way that Habana showed him the line thinking that he could shadow him and cover-tackle him into touch....... but he just had too much pace and was able to burn him with a nice step..... sweet try....
Joe October 19, 2007 3:34 pm
habana runs 100 in 11 seconds?!? i dont think so, i heard he ran it in 10.1, when he beat the cheetah he ran 60m in just over 6 seconds. dont think even caucau can match that, especially as at the moment hes a fatty, nice try thogh!
Anonymous October 21, 2007 4:51 am
bull shit.Habana way faster habana runs the 100m in 10.3 seconds and Takudzwa Ngwenya runs in 10.7 habana slowed down coz he thought he was comion in and then he caught him then went for the ankle tap habana would crush him in 100m anyways hes zimbabwean he should be playen for south africa. Habana forever the best and quickest.english comintater doesnt no shit.
Anonymous October 21, 2007 4:56 am
bull sh*t habana can run the 100m in 10.3 seconds and Takudzwa Ngwenya can only run it in 10.8 habana was thinking he was comin in so he stoped and Takudzwa Ngwenya already built up pace and habana caught him anyways he wennt for the ankle tap. english comentator full of shit and habana did racee a cheetah and neilly beat it go on youtube.
Anonymous October 21, 2007 2:15 pm
to dat guy who said habana isnt de best winger in de world...wtf dude?!?!? i spose u r de best winger den hey??
Anonymous October 22, 2007 8:23 am
Habana wasnt, isnt, and will never be the fastest man in world rugby. However, he might be one of the best winger in the world with great defense, great awareness, great finishing etc etcPPl say he sprints 100m in 10.3...BULL SHIT...his official PB is 11:00 flat when he was at school, and joe roks, douggie howlett, sireli Bobo, tom Varndell, lome fa'atau, rupeni caucau, Sosene Anesi ALL have faster time than Habana in 100m.But Habana has good acceleration and quick feet making him look "faster". Look at sireli bobo or richard haughton, they do big strides and look "slow", just wait till you put habana next to them!
Anonymous October 22, 2007 8:43 am
Habana was just elected IRB player of the year. And the Takudzwa try has been elected IRB try of the year
Anonymous October 22, 2007 3:47 pm
quality try althoough he did not burn habana habana had a standing start afterhe skinned him and try of the tournament goes to japan against walesbut still some raw gas
Anonymous October 22, 2007 6:24 pm
Blaz makaonererwa imimi....next time motambirawo sables yedu....
Anonymous October 23, 2007 6:09 pm
that guys ryyt he did not burn habana at allwtf is tht commentator on abart "hes left him 4 dead"bollocks. 1stly, Z is already runnin at pace. Habana has 2 turn and chase, and we all know that sum1 whos already flat out is gunna run away from sum1 whos from basicly a standin start.its impossible 4 him 2 make up any ground when thers so little space in front of him. u put em on the trackand my moneys on habana everytime.if this Z was so kwik. then ppl wud of been talkin about him ages before that soft try against samoa.
Anonymous October 24, 2007 1:15 pm
Guys...ALL wingers are fast, its kinda in the description. I know of no winger in the world which is slow...not even 'big' Ben Cohen. Sure habana is quick but tbh ive yet to see really from the games ive watched what the fuss is about...theres a difference between great speed and a great rugby player, although from the final i did see he has great defence, took out our man Sackey pretty good at one point. For me i still rate Shane Williams (wales) ahead of him...and as for those whining about 'he had a standing start..etc' - Z had the brains to fool him into standing still, THEN gassing it. Rugby is played with an equal amount of mental ability as physical ability, and tho yes the 'habana got smoked' tag is alittle OTT, massive kudoes for Z for outsmarting him and scoring the try, and to the rest of the USA team.
Anonymous October 26, 2007 4:43 am
To me not just the try of the tournament, but one of the greatest tries ever - up there with the Gareth Edwards try. Both those tries have something in common, and that is that both were team tries. I liked the Japan try, but Z's try is by far better, because it includes a moment of absolute individual brilliance. The argument isn't who is the faster winger but who was the better, and for that fleeting moment it was Z. Overall Habana is still by far the better winger, up there with Rockococo, Jeff Wilson, Carel Du Plesis, Shane Williams & co. And time will tell if he will join Lomu as the greatest ever (and if you look at his compilation of tries, he is catching up very fast - excuse the pun). To conclude, tries like this come around only once every decade (and they are usely not against the world champions or the IRB player of the year), and it's for this precise reason why I'm a rugby fan.
Anonymous October 28, 2007 8:33 pm
can i just say, habana runs 10.2 for 100m if i remember correctly they said 'Z' runs 100m in 10.58 or something
Anonymous October 28, 2007 11:25 pm
Not sure where you got your statistics from, but the Habana time doesn't sound right. Another point to note, it doesn't matter what your pb is, it matters how quick you are when it matters. There was a point when both Habana & Z were at full throttle, and Habana couldn't catch him, AND that with Z being a ball carrier (which slows a runner down).
Anonymous October 29, 2007 4:40 pm
i'm probably going to get flamed to hell for this. Habana is an excellent try scorer, and a great finisher.. but there are other wingers who utilize more than just speed to score great tries. Shane Williams of wales for example. great sidestep making up for being about 5ft 6. but i guess in Habana's case he doesn't need much more than sheer pace. its just not all that amazing to see.
Anonymous October 30, 2007 2:05 pm
Well you asked for it! He is not just sheer speed - that is what makes him even really special. I love Shane Williams (& Jason Robinson I put in the same bracket); but Habana is not far behind them when it comes to being elusive. Go to You Tube and have a look at some of his 'non break-away' tries. In particular the one against England where from a standing position, threw a dummy, then crawled through an attempted tackle, then took off, and when faced with a one-on-one situation with a defender, did a in-&-out ('Z' style) before flying through for a remarkable try. Yes, without his speed he wouldn't have been able to do it, but just speed wouldn't have given him the try either. There's plenty of those examples to look at. Go enjoy!
Louis October 31, 2007 12:18 am
Habana was going to catch him.. look carefully, he was at flat speed, had to catch up, and did, but then there was the line so he had to give a shot at an ankle tap. Z is fantastic and has great potential, but Habana is all time greatest
Anonymous November 05, 2007 2:07 am
As per previous comment, Z won that race & now it's history. In rugby it's about scoring the try. Habana has scored some unbelievable tries, but in this case - Z is hands down the winner, and beats Habana at his own game. One of the greatest tries I've seen. You probably meant all time great (not greatest)? You might stir a few Lomu supporters by making such a stong comment.
Anonymous November 19, 2007 9:29 pm
Nah Ngwenya,Habana and Lomu were all good but the best winger of all time has to be CauCau look at his vids on here hes easily the best.
Anonymous November 25, 2007 6:04 am
Guys you need to think about it this way, Habana probably is faster than Ngwenya but Habana also has top notch cardio training and stregnth training, while Ngwenya's training isn't as great, i reckon that if Ngwenya got the same training he would be faster
Anonymous November 27, 2007 5:12 am
on october 23 "if this Z was so kwik. then ppl wud of been talkin about him ages before that soft try against samoa." man you are so stupid, ngwenya was uncapped before this worldcup he is a rising star, his first international game was against england, thats why you didn't hear about him before, maybe if you weren't such a f***ing retard you would understand that, and when the commentator stated that he left Habana for dead its because habana dived and fell to the ground therefore he left him for dead, you retard
Anonymous November 28, 2007 12:40 pm
Ngwenya totally and utterly smoked Habana. What does 'the big man upstairs' have to say about that Brian?
Anonymous November 29, 2007 7:49 pm
It was a brilliant try but no doubt habana is the best winger in the world by a LONG way however he is not the fastest and i don't think that this american is the fastest either the fastest rugby player in the world is Tom Varndell of leicester and England i saw the 7's tournament in England a few years back and Varndell smoked Habana for pace and Habana was definately running at full pace on that occasion i also know my relatives in New Zealand saw a 7's tournament over there and said that Varndell smoked Habana again!!!
Anonymous December 02, 2007 7:49 am
Whether Habana stopped or not it doesn't matter. The fact is Ngwenaoutrun him and scored the try of the tournament! Habana is the best winger of this world cup. Now the fastest winger topic is a little too childish for a grown up discussion. It's like posting a question: Who is the stongest rugby player?....There were many before and there will be many after....Both men contributed to rugby world cup history.
Anonymous December 13, 2007 3:40 am
i played with this guy during the off season. he has this stuter step skip move thing that is so illusive. plus he is fast as lightning! amazing!
jatlasb December 13, 2007 8:45 pm
1. Contrary to what you may have heard previously, there WAS American TV coverage of the WRC--FOR FREE--on the channel "Vs.", which is included in most basic cable services. The games weren't live, and had commercial breaks, but they were available if you took the time to find them. That being said...no: there isn't much rugby coverage in the U.S. But people aren't familiar with it, so why should the TV stations cover it? Very few people play or follow it. (don't get me wrong, I'm a hooker and I love the game. But most Americans you asked about rugby they'd would tell you "isn't that like football without pads?In other words...outsiders lamenting the lack of rugby coverage in the U.S. make about as much sense as me complaining about the lack of ice hockey coverage in Australia.2. WTF is with this "Habana is still stronger/faster/better" talk? Habana got beat this ONE time. That's it. Nobody thinks he's a bad winger because of it. Nobody said "wow, that habana guy sure is slow." Habana is a GREAT winger, and he's DAMN FAST. Everybody knows it. Hell, even I know it, and I'm just some silly American who saw my first rugby game less than a year ago. So why all the analysis?Anyways, this was only one play in the whole tournament, which, oh yeah, South Africa WON. So before you South Africans need to ease your bruised egos about some supposed slight of your rugby program, remember these words in any order "South Africa 2007 Rugby World Cup Champions."Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but 112 comments debating the quality of a player like Habana is just ridiculous. It's like debating the quality of Nicklas Lidstrm becasue he got burned by Derek Bougard.
jatlasb December 13, 2007 8:51 pm
Aaanndd...I just realized I slipped an ice hockey reference in, which most non-americans/non-canadians aren't going to get. Most of you probably won't care, but for both of you who might, definitons follow.N. Lidstrm is a defenseman, widely considered to be the best currently playing the game, and possibly one of the best to have EVER played the game.D. Bougard is an "enforcer," or a physical, less-skilled player who's job isn't to score but to protect the more skilled offense men while they rack up the goals. The comparison being that it would be a 1/100000 chance of a player of Bougard's skill being able to skate past Lidstrm.
ZimHater22 December 21, 2007 1:42 am
Oh please so yahoo, yipee(choke choke) Ngwenya smoked Habana, but still who's the world champions? Ngwenya you better know who's your daddy boy! BRYAN HABANA! GO SPRINGBOKS!
Anonymous December 23, 2007 4:16 pm
Sadly, this wasn't even on the news in the U.S. It seems like everyone is too obsessed with footballl, basketball, and baseball to give a flying fu.k about rugby here in America.
Anonymous December 26, 2007 10:33 am
Honestly If USA put more effort in promoting the sport, they would definitely be among the top teams in world rugby. What the hell is this American Football vs Rugby crap. They are 2 totally different sports, each has its strengths and weaknesses(Though rugby is getting softer now that stamping is disallowed, but its still a rough game.)But seeing Habana beaten in speed ... that gold mate... thats gold ...
Anonymous January 14, 2008 6:33 pm
DUDE WHO SAID HABANA DA BEST OLD DOUGIE HOWLETT INT DA TOP ALL BLACK TRY SCORER EVER 4 NO REASON JUST BCAUSE HE DONT PLAY 4 DA DEM ANYMORE WE ALL NO HE STILL A LIVING LEGEND
Anonymous January 31, 2008 5:10 am
yo guys, Ngwenya's been clocked for a 10.25 sec on the 100m, he's the fastest now
Anonymous January 31, 2008 5:36 am
putting a side clocked timing, notice how habana loses ngwenya as ngwneya is able to run stright...
Anonymous February 11, 2008 2:53 pm
What a load of bullshit, its much easier to outrun someone when u dont have to worrie about tackling them, bryan start from stop basically caught up with him and just about got him, on a head to head bryan would win, switch them positions u think he would of caught bryan, i dont think so
Dave April 07, 2008 2:32 am
What a load of bullshit, its much easier to outrun someone when u dont have to worrie about tackling them, bryan start from stop basically caught up with him and just about got him, on a head to head bryan would win, switch them positions u think he would of caught bryan, i dont think soMan i must say that you're stupid, it's easier to run without the ball because you can pump your arms so you can run faster, but when you have the ball it reduces the motion so you're slightly off balance, so yeah ngwenya is faster
Anonymous May 09, 2008 10:15 pm
Classy try, he reminds me of Ntamack in the late 90's
Anonymous May 15, 2008 3:01 am
are you serios this guy has nufin on habana,the only reason you guys cheer this guy on is cuz ppl like 2 c the under dogs step up,habana is the fastest
evnz June 10, 2008 3:33 pm
will u just admit that he smoked him.he must be quicker because habana didn't tackle him and even if he isn't just face the facts that he just ran around the best winger in the world.hats off to z
rugby mad June 27, 2008 7:16 pm
im not sure that was fair because ngwenya already had a bit of pace where as habana had to start from zero, its clear habana was closing in on him and i reckon a couple more metres and habana would have brought him down
Anonymous July 18, 2008 8:39 pm
used to play with Zee at DARC - faster or not, he smoked Habana and was smart about it. good luck at biarritz my man. -abyrne
Anonymous December 08, 2008 6:27 am
If USA has so many kick ass players y do they lose?
Anonymous June 27, 2009 4:41 am
Bryan Habana, fastest man in world rugby??? MY ASS he is!
My grandma can run faster than him!!!
My grandma can run faster than him!!!
zackk-attack July 16, 2009 7:25 am
Ngwenya is so inconsistent. One day he gives you gold, the next a steaming pile of shit. Hard to love a man who drops the ball 1 out of three times.
russ claim February 10, 2010 11:55 pm
Fastest man?....just when you think you've got the title along comes a younger model and passes you on the 20!
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