The former Springboks international wing described Skelton as a ‘bulldozer’ when discussing the EPOTY nominee on last week’s The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.

Skelton, a former Heineken Champions Cup winner in his own right with Saracens in 2019, has been a giant in the pack for Les Corsaires during the 2020/21 campaign, gaining 105 metres and making 38 tackles for the TOP 14 outfit.

And Habana - who is one of five members of the EPOTY Judging Panel - had particular praise for the way Skelton has adapted to the competition and style of rugby in France:

“You get players coming into the French league and there’s expectation, and a lot of those don’t meet those expectations,” explained Habana.

“But I think Will has been absolutely phenomenal in the resurgence that we’ve seen with La Rochelle over the course of the last year and a half.

“These players are coming in and literally playing their hearts out and [are] fully committed - that’s the biggest thing.

“You always look at commitment, and the names on this list are people that are fully committed to the cause.”

Skelton is one of five EPOTY nominees who will be eager to impress during the showpiece finale to the European season – the Heineken Champions Cup title is up for grabs at Twickenham on May 22 when La Rochelle take on TOP 14 counterparts Toulouse.

Habana firmly believes Skelton is deservedly in with a chance of taking home the a specially-struck gold medal as well as the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy.

“I look at him (Skelton) this past weekend, he was bulldozing,” Habana added. “He was sort of like a Billy Vunipola when he gets on the go – he needs five, six players to stop him.

“He was a hazard every time he got his hands on the ball.

“Will is deservedly on this list, not because of his history, not because of what he did for Saracens, but because of his level of play that he has been producing week in, week out for La Rochelle over the course of the past year.”

Bryan Habana, a two-time winner of the Heineken Champions Cup during his playing career at RC Toulon, believes the play of EPCR European Player of the Year nominee Will Skelton has contributed heavily to resurgence of La Rochelle in continental competition.