As the Stormers brace for a hostile Stade Mayol on Saturday afternoon, Springbok legend Bryan Habana has offered a powerful insight into what makes French rugby one of the toughest arenas in the game.
And according to Habana – who spent five seasons at Toulon – it’s not just about what happens on the field.
“I think, to help people understand why French rugby is as great as it is, I sort of got caught by it in 2007… It was just a time in my career… where I wanted to be in a different place,” he said.
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Habana’s move to Toulon in 2013 came after a conversation with then-coach Bernard Laporte, who convinced him the club was building something special.
“He said: ‘We’ve got Jonny, we’ve got Bakkies, we’ve got Joe van Niekerk, Carl Hayman, Ali Williams coming through, Matt Giteau…’ I thought: this actually sounds like a Barbarians side.”
But it was the culture and the intensity that truly stood out.
“That understanding of Toulon, the Toulon supporters and French rugby, is so different because there is a culture with every team based on the city, the environment and the history.”
Matchday in Toulon, he explains, is unlike anything South African players are used to.
“We had this gladiatorial-type walk when we arrived at the stadium, with Toulon fans hitting us on the back and cheering… it threw opposition fans, opposition teams, everyone, into the cauldron of: this is a boiling pot.”
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Despite smaller stadiums, the atmosphere cuts deeper.
“As a stadium, it’s only about 18,000 people… but in France it’s a lot more personal.”
Habana also recalled the wild celebrations after Toulon’s historic double.
“We had 60,000 people in Toulon celebrating us arriving with both trophies at the port. It was absolute carnage and chaos. But it showed the level of support.”
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