Rugby sevens has 'bright future' in Africa - Habana

As Kenya and South Africa prepare for the rugby sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympics, former Springboks winger Bryan Habana believes the sport has a “bright future” across Africa.

Qualification saw Kenya’s men beat South Africa, bronze medallists in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and traditionally the continent’s dominant force, to secure their participation at a third successive Games.

“The fact that Kenya overcame the Blitzboks in that tournament gives you a sense of what talent is within the African continent,” Habana told BBC Sport Africa.

“That qualification process saw the likes of Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mauritius competing. World Rugby are doing their best to give teams that are under that top-tier level an opportunity to springboard and continually develop.

“Fifteens is obviously where a lot of the financial impetus and injection goes.

"You could look at the likes of Mauritius that are now coming through - they are investing a lot of time, money and effort into their sevens programme."

South Africa’s men bounced back to become the last of 12 nations to clinch a spot in the French capital via a repechage event.

They will also be the continent’s sole representatives in the women’s competition.

“Four years ago our female players were getting 50 points against them in their own tournament in Cape Town,” Habana said.

“All of a sudden in Dubai this year, they pushed both New Zealand and Fiji extremely close. They beat the USA, one of the top four ranked teams in the world.

“That just shows where there is opportunity to continually develop, and that great results can be achieved.”

Kenya’s qualification for Paris 2024 was all the more impressive given the fact their men’s team dropped out of the elite SVNS international circuit amid a series of administrative issues at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).

Internal wrangling has seen chairman Sasha Mutai face down two motions of no-confidence this year, with complaints about his style of leadership.

Previous to Mutai taking charge, the distribution of sponsorship money had been a bone of contention at the KRU.

Players have also frequently gone on strike over salaries and allowances while the past decade has seen a high turnover of coaches.

“Despite all the challenges, both administratively and financially, they have been able to overcome those hurdles,” said Habana.

“As a team [they have] shown what can be achieved when striving and working hard towards a common goal.”

In a country where athletics dominates – and has provided 106 of Kenya’s 113 Olympic medals – Habana thinks rugby sevens could offer a route to those who do not excel in track and field.

“Hopefully that exposure, that opportunity to go to the greatest sporting spectacle globally would let the Kenyan administration understand how important the game of sevens is,” added the 41-year-old.

“But it will also inspire young Kenyans who maybe can't crack an 800m, 1500m, 10,000m or half marathon, that are maybe a bit bigger, a bit bulkier.”

Habana’s 67 tries in 124 international matches places him second on rugby union’s all-time list of Test try scorers, while he also won the Rugby World Cup with South Africa in 2007.

He later joined the Blitzboks set-up in a bid to gain a place in the squad for the 2016 Olympics, where sevens made its debut, but was not selected.

“I’m a World Cup winner and I'm jealous that the Kenyans are going to the Olympics because it's an opportunity that I was never able to get,” he admitted.

“Kenya are really showing what can be achieved through hard work, perseverance and resilience.

“Much respect to what that team has achieved amongst all the challenges. They can be extremely proud.”

When it comes to men’s rugby at the Olympics, one nation dominates: Fiji.

The Pacific islanders triumphed at the inaugural tournament in 2016 - winning the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal - and defended their title in Tokyo three years ago.

“The players are just monstrous, in strength, size and speed,” Habana said.

“They’re just so good at what they do. If you're not able to compete with them physically, nine times out of 10 you're going to find yourself wanting.”

Habana came up against Fiji before their first Olympic title – an encounter that left its mark.

“It was as physical and as fast-paced as I've ever experienced any type of rugby,” he explained.

“At times, it felt like you were chasing ghosts.”

Known for their fast-paced game based on physicality at the breakdown, swift offloads and capitalising on broken field in possession, Fiji’s bid for a third successive Olympic gold might not be straightforward.

They finished sixth in this season’s SVNS circuit, failing to pick up an event victory, after parting company with head coach Ben Gollings in March.

“They've also gone through a massive transition phase and they've actually been struggling on the field,” said Habana.

So, if he were a coach, how would Habana go about beating the defending champions?

“One of the great things when you play against Fiji is to try to keep it as structured as possible.

“If you don't use the opportunities, which are very limited throughout the course of 14 minutes, you're going to come up wanting because they can score a try out of nothing.

“Keep it tight, and don’t be scared to physically test them. But make sure that you don't stop being relentless for the full 14 minutes.”

Pool A: New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Japan.

Pool B: Argentina, Australia, Samoa, Kenya.

Pool C: Fiji, France, USA, Uruguay.

Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, China.

Pool B: Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, South Africa.

Pool C: France, USA, Japan, Brazil.

Top two sides from each pool and two best-ranked third placed sides qualify for quarter-finals.