Odwa’s stepping up to the plate
LAST HURRAH: NDUNGANE TO RETIRE AFTER 251 GAMES Veteran wing has had enough after 17 years in the limelight.
Sbu Nkosi is one of the rising stars of South African rugby, but his misfortune in getting injured in the Currie Cup semifinal has allowed Odwa Ndungane, one of the trailblazers for black rugby post-isolation, the chance for a fairy-tale ending to his great career in the final against Western Province at King’s Park in Durban tomorrow.
Wing Nkosi’s dislocated elbow means Ndungane, who has announced he will retire after a 17-year professional career at the end of the season, will play his 251st match in the black and white jersey, in the only change to the team that beat the Blue Bulls in the semifinal last weekend. Utility back Rhyno Smith takes Ndungane’s place on the bench.
“It’s sad to lose Sbu because he’s had a fantastic season, but we still have Odwa, playing his 251st game, he’s an absolute stalwart and it’s great to have him in the team. Rhyno is back on the bench and he’s also done really well for us in the past,” Sharks coach Robert du Preez said at King’s Park yesterday.
With less than a third of the Sharks squad having never played in a Currie Cup final, it means Du Preez, who himself won the Currie Cup six times with Northern Transvaal and Natal, has been doing his best to keep his players calm this week.
“It’s really important that we treat this as just another rugby game, we need to be cool and calm. We’ve done all the work and it was much harder before the semifinal. To have an enjoyable week was our aim, we wanted to make it a great week for the guys,” Du Preez said.
Du Preez has been fortunate in being able to name much the same side in the run-in to the final and he says continuity mends all ills and has been the key to the Sharks’ resurgence over the last year.
“Continuity plays a huge role and it started in the Currie Cup last year and we kept much the same group through Super Rugby. Guys have stepped in for the few players we lost to Japan and a couple to France, and the youngsters have made a massive impact. The senior guys, with more experience, are also playing a massive role,” Du Preez said.
Sharks
Garth April, Kobus van Wyk, Lukhanyo Am, Marius Louw, Odwa Ndungane, Curwin Bosch, Louis Schreuder, Daniel du Preez, Jean-Luc du Preez, Keegan Daniel, Ruan Botha (capt), Tyler Paul, Ross Geldenhuys, Franco Marais, Thomas du Toit. Bench: Akker van der Merwe, Juan Schoeman, John-Hubert Meyer, Jean Droste, Jacques Vermeulen, Michael Claassens, Tristan Blewett, Rhyno Smith.