Underrated Ndungane twins

If the Sharks decide to call on him from the bench, tomorrow will mark a massive milestone for one of my favourite players of all time.

Given that my current mix of best-ever players is eclectic enough to include Christian Cullen and Danie Rossouw, Odwa Ndungane should fit right in there.

The choice might be obscure to some, but I honestly believe Ndungane and his twin brother, Akona, are easily two of the most underrated players in this country.

What with one man's underrated being another's overrated, I probably need to explain.

Most might look at the fact that the 32-year-old Sharks winger could reach his milestone from the bench (and given the Sharks' injury record, he should) as a sign that maybe it's not quite a top-class player we're dealing with.

But for two players whose most eye-catching attribute when they started out was their dreadlocks, a century of appearances (Akona is currently on 90 for the Bulls) in the cutting-edge provincial competition is almost achievement enough.

Then there's what they have actually done in that time. When Odwa was first signed by Rudi Joubert at the Bulls, there was a preoccupation with the former Border winger's scrawniness.

What people were missing was the sheer balls of looking at Loftus Versfeld and identifying it as a launching pad for a career, at a time when black players were quotas all around the country.

The experience didn't quite work out, to the point where people kept sniggering that Joubert had bought the wrong twin, especially after Akona arrived later and became an icon at Loftus.

But what the two, especially Akona, inadvertently achieved was suggesting to other black players that "conservative" old Loftus wasn't necessarily a shallow grave for their careers.

As it turned out, Odwa found a more natural home in the expansive Sharks after leaving the Bulls, which accommodated his wonderful ability to keep the ball alive by offloading in the tackle.

To be sure, it wasn't easy, as he had trouble with the high ball and his hands had a tendency to let him down earlier.

But those were obstacles that would ultimately show off what have been consistent traits with the Ndunganes: an eerie determination to succeed and the ability to focus on the job at hand.

While their human qualities almost dwarf everything, they haven't done too shabbily on the park either, which explains the constant selection by their coaches.

Akona is a multiple Currie Cup winner, a three-time Super rugby champion, and a World Cup gold medallist.

Odwa may have fallen at the quarterfinal stages of the World Cup in 2011 and two Super rugby finals, but he, too, has played an instrumental part in the Sharks' winning Currie Cup titles.

Compared with each other, Odwa is bigger and has the more blockbuster game, while Akona makes few mistakes under pressure and has to be one of the best high-ball exponents.

Their differences in skills are perhaps best shown by the coaches who chose them for the Springboks: Akona being selected by the ultra-practical Jake White and Odwa by Peter de Villiers.

Of course, they were both almost after-thoughts in making their respective Bok squads due to a widely held belief that they are slow.

While they do not possess the searing pace of a Bryan Habana, they were seldom embarrassed for pace either.

The what-ifs will always follow them around when it comes to what they didn't do for the Boks, but for me they are two of the most underrated players I've had the pleasure to cover.