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'No we are not telepathic'

Louis de Villiers

Durban – There will be no sense of brotherly love on the field when Odwa and Akona Ndungane square up in Saturday’s Super14 derby between the Sharks and Bulls.

"I don’t want to suggest that I will forget on the field that Akona is my brother, but we’ll leave the brotherly stuff until after the match," said Odwa, who will briefly view Akona as just another guy with a blue jersey.

There is no telepathic understanding between the twins on the field. “No, I don’t know what he is going to do! We are close to one another, so I’ll feel uncomfortable should he be injured and I only find out afterwards,” said Odwa.

"We really enjoyed playing together while growing up, but that’s not possible now and it does not worry us to play against one another."

The 28-year-old twins from Mthatha have some a long way since swopping Border for bigger teams.

It was the Bulls’ Akona that first impressed with his consistency after they left Border five years ago. The Pretoria-based side had grown accustomed to success and the Heyneke Meyer recipe was working.

However, the Sharks were struggling. Odwa arrived during the last months of the Kevin Putt era and initially looked less talented than his brother.

"I definitely did not develop a complex over that! The Bulls had been a top side for a while and my brother slotted in well. In Durban it was a different matter initially. We did not perform particularly well and it took us a while to build a team," said Odwa.

"As we got to know one another better under Dick Muir and John Plumtree, we became more consistent."

Odwa admits the last few weeks have been difficult for the Sharks.

"Last week was once again one of missed opportunities, unlucky bounces of the ball … but we can pull through and have not given up," he said.

Odwa feels he has not worn the Springbok No 14 jersey, for which he competes with his brother, enough times.

"It feels wonderful to earn it and I’d like to play a lot more tests. At Akona’s expense? No, I’m still hoping we get a chance together some day."

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