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Often in RWCs the ‘Try of the Tournament’ is scored during the group stage. In France 2007 this was indeed the case when Taku Ngernya famously left Bryan Habana for dead.
The score came in what was the final fixture of the pool phase. It had eventual winners South Africa facing the USA in Montpellier, France.
Going into the match Habana was not a household name. In fact the players based in Dallas, Texas was uncapped prior to the RWC itself. His debut came in the opening weekend against England in Lens. He would start the match and do so throughout the tournament.
In game’s three and four, against Samoa, and South Africa respectively, Ngwenya would score tries. Both of his scores were memorable but it is the second which has lived on in the memories and this comes as no surprise.
Ngwenya’s score saw him out-sprinting Bryan Habana, the man deemed at the time as being the fastest man in rugby. Yet it was far more than just Ngwenya’s ‘smoking’ of Habana. Todd Clever intercepted, ran, and handed-off Butch James; while Mike Hercus threw a difficult but accurate pass to Ngwenya.
