Springboks Legend Bryan Habana Reacts to Tatjana Smith's Netherlands Switch
- Springboks legend Bryan Habana reacted to Tatjana Smith's decision to represent the Netherlands
- The former rugby star left an encouraging message on the Olympic champion's Instagram announcement
- Smith explained why she is making the career switch after years of representing South Africa
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Springboks legend Bryan Habana has shown support for Olympic champion Tatjana Smith after she announced her decision to represent the Netherlands in international swimming.
Source: UGC
Habana joined several sporting personalities who reacted to Smith's announcement on Instagram. The former Springbok winger left an encouraging message for the swimmer, who is preparing for a new chapter in her career.
Bryan Habana leaves message for Tatjana Smith
Habana reacted to Smith's announcement with the comment:
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"Onwards and upwards @tatjanaschoen đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź"
Another account, @reecevandermerwe, also showed support, writing:
"Yess TATS!!! Backing you all the way! 🫶🏼"
Former Springboks captain Siya Kolisi's wife Rachel also showed her love with a heartwarming comment. She also received support from her husband, Joel.
Source: Instagram
Why Tatjana Smith is switching to the Netherlands
The 29-year-old announced her decision in an emotional video on Tuesday, 10 November, confirming that she would represent the Netherlands rather than South Africa. Smith holds both South African and Dutch citizenship, and World Aquatics has confirmed her change of sporting nationality.
The swimmer won the 200m breaststroke gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before claiming another gold in the 100m breaststroke at Paris 2024. She also secured two silver medals across the two Olympic Games, making her South Africa's most decorated Olympian.
Smith explained that the move would allow her to explore her Dutch heritage while benefiting from greater high-performance support and building a more sustainable swimming career.
Her decision comes after a dispute with Swimming South Africa (SSA) over $35,000 in prize money earned at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. The federation withheld the money for more than a year following a dispute over her swimming attire. SSA later apologised to her in Parliament in October 2026.
Habana is one of the greatest players to have represented the Springboks. He was part of the South African team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, scoring eight tries during the tournament to equal Jonah Lomu's record for the most tries at a single Rugby World Cup.
He was also named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2007.
The former winger earned 124 Test caps for South Africa and scored 67 tries, making him the country's leading Test try-scorer. He also finished his Rugby World Cup career with 15 tries, equalling Lomu's tournament record.
Habana was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2023.
Gayton McKenzie responds to Tatjana Smith's decision
Briefly News previously reported that Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie also addressed Smith's decision on Wednesday, 11 November. He wished the Olympic champion well and cautioned against turning her decision into a political weapon.
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Source: Briefly News
