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Raise Your Game: How do you approach each game?

Bryan Habana: We (South Africa) are world champions at the moment which means we are number one in the world. We approach every game as a test match and look to go out there and win.

RYG: What does it mean to represent your country?

BH: When you wear that green and gold jersey you're going out there to represent a country of more than 47 million South Africans, and you do that with a lot of pride, a lot of passion and you definitely don't go out there with the aim to be second best. It's something very special in every South African boy's life to run out for the Boks and represent your country by pulling that green and gold jersey over your head.

RYG: When you first represented the Springboks what was it that made it special for you?

BH: Those guys above me, like Os du Randt and Percy Montgomery, made it very special for me going into my first test. They made it an unbelievable experience and I'd like to return the favour to those new guys coming in to the squad. We want to make it as special for them as it was when we donned our first caps for the Springboks. It wouldn't be fair on them if I didn't go out there and play to the best of my abilities, and I know that's something that every guy in this team's looking to do in every game.

RYG: You were in the same school side as Welshman Rhys Thomas. Did you try to motivate each other along the way?

BH: Rhys was an unbelievable bloke, and he was probably as big as he is now when he was in school which meant the opposition really hated him! He was also a fantastic bloke off the field and as KES (King Edward VIII School) boys we had some good times representing our school team.

He's a great player who has got a lot to offer the Welsh side and it's nice to see him eventually coming through now. Hopefully he'll be around the block for another couple of years and we'll manage to play against each other in the years to come.

He has a great and very enthusiastic family who were very much into rugby so when he finished school he had the option of coming to Wales and he's grabbed that opportunity with both hands. I think he's worked unbelievably hard over the last four years. There are a great deal of unbelievably good props in Wales at the moment so it's really good to see someone else from my year at school coming through on the international circuit.