Henry Honiball
Encyclopedia
Henry William Honiball is a former South Africa
n rugby union
footballer. He played at fly-half for South Africa during the post-apartheid era, although he was physically and technically acquainted in any back position.
Honiball was a rare-breed of fly-half, who had a very expansive running game which brought the loose-forwards into the game quickly. He was also very tall for a fly-half and extremely physical, being a strong tackler and not afraid to take the ball and challenge the opposition. He earned his nickname of 'Lem', which is Afrikaans for 'blade', for his ability to 'cut' through his opponent's defence. Honiball was part of Nick Mallett's legendary Springbok
squad that equalled the record for 17 consecutive Test victories, a record shared with New Zealand
. Such was his reading, distribution and tactical knowledge of the game that he had an enviable Springbok success rate of nearly 75 per cent.
He made his debut in 1993 against the Wallabies
in Sydney, coming on as a replacement. Although South Africa lost the match 19-12, Honiball was also a member of the South African team that mauled Australia 61-22 during the 1997 Tri Nations tournament
, which was only replaced in 2008 (30 August 2008 - 53-8 win to South Africa in Johannesburg during the 2008 Tri Nations Series
) as Australia's heaviest ever defeat. He was also a mercurial member of South Africa's first ever Tri Nations victory
. Honiball retired from international rugby after the Springboks beat New Zealand in the 1999 Rugby World Cup
third/fourth place play-off.
After the World Cup, he played one season for Bristol
, amassing 283 points, before a serious neck injury forced him to finally hang up his boots.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He played at fly-half for South Africa during the post-apartheid era, although he was physically and technically acquainted in any back position.
Honiball was a rare-breed of fly-half, who had a very expansive running game which brought the loose-forwards into the game quickly. He was also very tall for a fly-half and extremely physical, being a strong tackler and not afraid to take the ball and challenge the opposition. He earned his nickname of 'Lem', which is Afrikaans for 'blade', for his ability to 'cut' through his opponent's defence. Honiball was part of Nick Mallett's legendary Springbok
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
squad that equalled the record for 17 consecutive Test victories, a record shared with New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. Such was his reading, distribution and tactical knowledge of the game that he had an enviable Springbok success rate of nearly 75 per cent.
He made his debut in 1993 against the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in Sydney, coming on as a replacement. Although South Africa lost the match 19-12, Honiball was also a member of the South African team that mauled Australia 61-22 during the 1997 Tri Nations tournament
1997 Tri Nations Series
The 1997 Tri Nations Series was contested from 19 July to 23 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The All Blacks continued their unbeaten record to win their second tournament.-Results:...
, which was only replaced in 2008 (30 August 2008 - 53-8 win to South Africa in Johannesburg during the 2008 Tri Nations Series
2008 Tri Nations Series
The 2008 Tri Nations Series was the thirteenth annual Tri Nations competition between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa...
) as Australia's heaviest ever defeat. He was also a mercurial member of South Africa's first ever Tri Nations victory
1998 Tri Nations Series
The 1998 Tri Nations Series was contested from 11 July to 22 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The Springboks won the tournament.-Table:-Results:...
. Honiball retired from international rugby after the Springboks beat New Zealand in the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
third/fourth place play-off.
After the World Cup, he played one season for Bristol
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
, amassing 283 points, before a serious neck injury forced him to finally hang up his boots.