Odwa Ndungane applauds FNB Varsity Cup for changing lives and developing the next generation of stars

3 hours ago
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After former Springbok wing Odwa Ndungane matriculated from Hudson Park High School in East London, his parents persuaded him to study at Eastern Cape Technikon [now called Walter Sisulu University]. There, he studied to be a civil engineer and was offered a professional contract at the Border Bulldogs so didn’t finish his degree.

But had his career rugby not worked out as incredibly as it did, running out regularly for the Sharks for more than a decade and representing the national side on nine occasions, completing his studies degree would have been the right option to take.

It’s why Ndungane is such a big fan of the FNB Varsity Cup and the dual purpose it serves to young, aspiring rugby players in South Africa.

“One thing that makes me to be a fan of the varsity cup is that you are actually killing two birds with one stone,” he said to Varsity Cup. “You are playing rugby and you are getting a degree".

“You are actually being fulfilled because you get to interact with other normal youngsters on a day-to-day basis.

“You’re not only in the provincial professional environment, but you are in a working school environment. On top of that, you are following your dream, you are playing rugby and you are developing on all ends of life.

Ndungane’s twin brother, Akona Ndungane – who also went on to represent the Springboks – studied quantity surveying at the same time but also took up a professional rugby contract as well instead of completing his studies.

The lesson Odwa learnt from his parents he is passing on to all aspiring rugby players now.

“Whenever I speak to youngsters, I always tell them that you got to have a degree or you got to be studying or you got to be doing something outside of rugby because you don’t know what the future holds."

“With the varsity cup, you come away with a degree and after you play Varsity rugby, you can get spotted by a union and you get a professional contract."

“Varsity Cup opens up a lot more avenues than you would if you were just going straight into professional rugby, because you can get injured or you can lose form or you’re out of luck and things don’t quite work out.

“And then you have to start afresh at 24, 25, whereas come 24, 25, you have a degree and you’ve played some nice competitive rugby and then you go into any environment or industry that you choose after.”

FNB Varsity Cup also plays a role in plugging a gap for players who may have missed out on age-group selections at provincial level to be spotted by coaches at those sides.

Ntokozo Makhaza for example, last year went from winning the FNB Varsity Cup with the FNB UCT Ikey Tigers to being called up to a Springbok alignment camp and is now contracted with the Cheetahs, having not been contracted provincially before.

“Varsity Cup plays a massive role because most of these players would have been missed because of how everything works,” Ndungane said.

“You have Grant Khomo and you go into your provincial and the under-19 and under-21s. Then we play, you work your way up into senior level.

“Now it’s opened up a pool of players that would have been missed ordinarily, where now you can get, spotted on TV and you have another channel where you can make it into a professional setup.”

Ndungane called the competition a “breeding ground for South African rugby” with the tournament going from “strength to strength” improving on the quality on field and having innovative ideas around laws as well.

“It has really gone from strength to strength. We must really applaud the organisers and everyone involved in how they always come up with new ideas to try to keep it fresh.

“And if you look at the attendance on a weekly basis, it's always full.

“The product itself on the rugby field is always of high quality. If you look at some of the coaches, its ex-players, guys giving back, there’s experience there in the coaching staff.

“Varsity Cup is really a wonderful breeding ground for South African rugby.”