Born in Transvaal in 1983, Bryan Gary Habana was named after Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey by his Man United-loving parents, and dreamed of being a footballer. It was only after his father took him to watch the Springboks play Australia in the 1995 World Cup that Habana turned to rugby union. At 21, on his debut for South Africa at wing, he scored a try with his first touch of the ball; he now has 51 caps and in 2007 equalled Jonah Lomu's record of eight tries at a World Cup in South Africa's2007 winning campaign.

There's a story in our family that my brother got all the looks, my sister got all the brains and I got the leftovers. Thankfully I inherited the sporting talent from my mum, who was a provincial hockey player. I'm the leanest, meanest one in the family.

I was called "little runt" at school. Up until 16 or 17 I was probably the smallest guy in my year. Then I had a huge growth spurt. Luckily rugby has a place for everyone, big and small. I still love being a small guy who can run away from everyone very quickly.

I was brought up in the new South Africa, where I never understood colour. My parents shielded me from that, what happened in the past and how bad it was. That laid a great foundation for the person I have become.

It's very easy for me to take my clothes off, because I've been blessed in my genetics. I don't have to borrow someone else's six-pack for a photoshoot. I don't feel embarrassed modelling underwear, but it's not something I like doing. I don't rip my shirt off or anything. No matter what your body looks like, you shouldn't be bragging about it.

I have got an unbelievably sweet tooth. I can blame my parents for that – we had the biggest sweets cupboard in the world. Every lunchbox contained some sort of chocolate, sweets or crisps. That's my biggest vice, whether it's a Starbucks passion cake or a little chocolate cake. Luckily I've got a very high metabolism, and my body absorbs the extra sugar.

My body is my only source of income so I have to look after it. I do like the odd KFC or Pizza Hut, but I'm very fortunate that I don't put on weight. Some guys do struggle and they are probably jealous of me.

In 2003 I was told that if I wanted to become a full international I'd have to gain a few extra kilos. For 75 days my dad made me four meals a day. Lots of brown rice and baked potatoes, plus supplement shakes – two spoons of powder into a bottle shook with milk. I put on seven kilos.

I've had a couple of split-open eyes, but I haven't broken my nose yet. I've never had an injury that kept me out for more than six weeks. Black eyes and bruises don't count, they're just part of the sport. I love the physicality of rugby, being overly aggressive within the parameters; it's a great place to take out a lot of frustration.