Bran Habana is proud to be a Springbok and a South African

South Africa wing Bryan Habana insists he and his team-mates are proud of the Springbok image on their shirts despite political moves to scrap it.

The ruling African National Congress Party want to remove what they consider to be an emblem of apartheid.

But Habana told BBC Wales' Sport Wales: "I've grown up wearing the Springbok on my chest.

"I'm very proud to be called a Springbok and proud to be called South African."

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The ANC has voted to scrap the leaping springbok image and wants the rugby side to fall in with other sports teams who only carry the protea flower as their symbol of national identity.

The rugby team have worn the protea alongside the springbok for the past five years, but many in South African rugby are reluctant to ditch the old symbol, whatever its political associations.

Habana, a black South African and the International rugby Board's player of the year in 2007, said: "In South Africa we live in a very unique and very diverse country - unlike anywhere else in the world in terms of cultural and racial differences.

"So there will always be battles going on around the transformation process that is supposed to be happening. They've been happening since 1994 when we became a democracy.

"As players we are going to leave those battles to the politicians and administrators.

"Hopefully, as a team we can do something each and every Saturday that brings us closer together as a country and makes everyone proud of the Springbok badge, or whatever badge we play under."

The row intensified in South Africa last month when Western Province forward Luke Watson was alleged to have said he wanted to "vomit on the Bok jersey."

Watson - son of anti-apartheid activist Cheeky Watson - then made himself unavailable for the current tour after claiming he had been misrepresented as part of a "media witch-hunt."

Pro-Springbok emblem supporters responded by sending Watson anti-nausea drugs through the post.

Sport Wales, Thursday 6 November, BBC Two Wales & 2W, 2200 GMT.

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