Odwa Ndungane bows out
Veteran Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane is retiring from the game after 17 memorable years
THE butterflies – that’s what he’ll hanker after the most; that fluttery feeling in the belly that comes in the nervous hours before a big match. “I’ll miss rugby dearly, waking up on a Saturday morning and knowing you’re playing in a final at 3pm or 5pm and you’ve got these butterflies in your tummy,” Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane says. “I’ve spoken to some retired players and most of them said it’s hard to find that rush again.”
It’s a rush this rugby veteran is giving up now too. After 17 years in the game, 249 matches for the Sharks and nine Springbok caps, Odwa (36) is hanging up his boots and calling it a day.
The 2017 Currie Cup final between the Sharks and Western Province is a week away when we chat and it’s going to be his 250th match – so understandably he’s hoping to go out in a blaze of glory.
“It’s a great feeling to drink out of that cup,” Odwa says, sitting on a couch in his living room beside his wife, Kgomotso (35). “It’s a trophy with so much history. Hopefully I can do it one last time.”
The veteran player, dubbed Mr Dependable by many in the game, is chatting to us at his home in Virginia, Durban North,
about how he feels about giving up the game he loves and his future plans.
Odwa has been through many ups and downs in a career spanning nearly two decades. “Fortunately there’s been more highs for me,” he says.
He says the camaraderie he’s built with his teammates over the years means a lot to him. “It’s always special. You experience the highs and lows together.”
The low points have definitely been the times he was plagued by injury. “I’ve been fortunate not to have had any serious injuries though – the longest I’ve been out of action was a month. The tough thing is, you lose confidence.”
THROUGH it all Kgomotso, a wedding planner, has been at his side, supporting him when he’s come home tired and disheartened after his team suffered a loss. She smiles. “When you know someone for so many years you get to know how it is before and after a big game,” she says.
The couple have been married for six years and have two kids, Amahle (5) – who’s just been fetched from school by her dad – and 10-month-old Anathi, who’s having a nap.
Odwa and Kgomotso met in 2004 in Pretoria when he was playing for the Blue Bulls.
She says pre-season preparation is definitely the toughest for her husband. She adds he goes to bed fairly early to recover in time for the following day’s intense training.
So does a particular game come to mind that stands out from the rest? Odwa says there are too many special matches to mention but it was always an honour to play against his twin brother, Akona, a Blue Bull, who retired in 2015.
“We used to play the same position but there have been times when he played centre and I played wing and we’d end up playing against each other.”
The twins hail from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape but whenever the Bulls and Sharks faced each other in Durban the whole family made sure they were there.
“Those were enjoyable weekends. My family are mostly Sharks supporters but my mom would be forced to wear a blue jersey so Akona didn’t feel alone,” Odwa says, laughing.
He says he and his brother plan to stay involved in rugby.
“We’ve opened a sports management company. It’s the best way of giving back. I believe this will give us fulfilment.”
BUT the management company won’t be the only thing Odwa will be filling his days with. He and former Bok captain Gary Teichmann have started a construction company together, giving Odwa a chance to wear a different hat – that of businessman.
“It’s going to be a whole different ballgame,” he says. “I’m looking forward to the new chapter in my life.”
He intends bringing to the world of business the same values he learnt on the rugby field – to stay humble and “never lose sight of who you are”.
Odwa regards himself as fortunate to have played rugby for so long and so well.
“You can easily think you’re bigger and better but it doesn’t last forever. Some people have played at the highest level and these days people don’t even recognise them in shopping malls.”
Why did he play for as long as he did? “I have an expensive wife,” he jokes.
Then he becomes serious. “I never lost the love of the game. I’ve always enjoyed waking up and going to the stadium and going to training.”
The fame and glory have also been accompanied by criticism at times when he was off form or made mistakes, and South African sport fans aren’t ones to hold back when a player has messed up.
Kgomotso often felt the need to shut down the haters on social media until she decided to follow her husband’s example. “Odwa is calm about it and just lets them be. I used to read a lot of the comments but I’ve learnt not to take notice,” she says.
Odwa will have more time to spend with his family once he’s no longer travelling the country with his team.
Amahle is already a sporty kid, her dad says proudly. “She loves athletics and running. Maybe she’ll even represent South Africa at the Olympics someday.”
He’s also looking forward to kicking a ball around on the large lawn in front of the family home with its sweeping views of the Indian Ocean.
Yet he’s not sure it will be a rugby ball – because as much as Odwa loves the game he isn’t sure he wants his son to follow in his footsteps. “I don’t know if I’d push him,” he says. “The pain that goes with the injuries is terrible.” For Odwa, stepping out in front of the cheering crowd at the Currie Cup final in Durban is going to be a hugely emotional experience and he’d like to say a proper farewell. “I want to stay in the changing room a bit longer and just take it all in,” he says.
“You’ll have to wait outside for a long time,” he teases Kgomotso.
“I want to take one last walk on the field and think of all the wonderful memories and close this chapter of my life on a high note.” S
‘You can easily think you’re bigger and better but it doesn’t last forever’