Dublin game a great chance for Lukhanyo to measure progress

Lukhanyo Am will turn 32 after the Springbok tour of Europe and the UK in November, and that means he is young enough to still feature strongly in the plans for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

One of the main heroes of the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama, where the metres Am was able to make carrying the ball and also his creativity in setting up Makazole Mapimpi for South Africa’s first ever try in a global tournament decider, surprised England. Am has had his career stalled by injury in recent years.

He did not travel initially with the group that went to France in 2023 because of injury, and when he was called in as a late replacement, Jesse Kriel was well ensconced in the No. 13 jersey. Since then Am has hardly played for the Boks, and Canan Moodie has now added himself to the list of quality players who can be used as an alternative at outside centre.

So it is going to be hard for Am to force his way back into the mix, but he is determined to do so and after a sit-down with Hollywoodbets Sharks coach John Plumtree over the off-season, has set about making the changes to his overall routine that are necessary when you are beyond the age of 30. The reason Kriel is in such mint condition when also in his fourth decade of life, and he has told us he’d like to play test rugby until he is 38, is because of the care he takes over his diet and personal conditioning.

FEELING STRONGER

Am has resolved to do the same now that he is back playing again after missing out on the most recent international season because of an injury that bothered him towards the end of the last Vodacom United Rugby Championship season that he has had sorted out medically. He made a tentative return for the Sharks Invitation team that played Saracens in a pre-season friendly last month, playing just a half, but has gathered some momentum since then and showed glimpses of his former self in the opening URC game against the Glasgow Warriors.

Anyone who doubts his class should just think back a few years to his almost single-handed quest to keep the Boks in the game when they lost to the All Blacks in Johannesburg in 2022. Am was brilliant then, even though forced to play on the wing because of an injury, and if he gets his old step back there’s no reason he shouldn’t add to Erasmus’ considerable midfield options, remembering too that he also has the creative nous to play inside centre should he be needed there.

“Injuries are part of the game we love. Being out was tough, but I used the time to work on myself and come back stronger,” said Am in a break in the Sharks’ buildup to Saturday’s third round URC match against Leinster in Dublin.

“Getting back into the Bok mix will take game time and form. It’s very competitive there, but I know what it takes. I just need to keep improving and hopefully I’ll get that call again.”

WATCHING TRC TRIUMPH FUELLED MOTIVATION

Am, who has 42 test caps, said watching his teammates lift another Rugby Championship trophy had provided extra motivation.

“It’s been amazing to see the boys performing so well. I know what it takes to be there and to stay there, and I’m focused on doing the work that will get me back.”

With Plumtree deciding to let the bulk of his Bok contingent return to Durban to prepare for next week’s first home game against Ulster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Am won’t have a big contingent of current Boks around him against Leinster. But there will be two who play positions close to his and who he should dovetail well with - his 2019 World Cup winning teammate Makazole Mapimpi and the young generational talent that is Ethan Hooker.

The last mentioned could well himself be in the No 13 jersey in time, as that is where he played most of his early rugby, but the likelihood is that Hooker will against Leinster feature in a back three that will include three Bok wings - with Mapimpi on the other side and Edwill van der Merwe used as a fullback.

If Jurenzo Julius teams up with Am in the midfield that will make for a pretty potent outside back division, and given that Leinster are welcoming back their British and Irish Lions for this game, it is a chance for Am to measure his progress back to being the world class player he was before his injuries. Having quality players around him will certainly help in that regard.

“Ethan and Makazole are crucial to our team as they fit perfectly into our system, especially with our contestable kicking game. They’ve done it for us before and at test level, so having them back is a big boost.”

A GOOD TEST

He added he was looking forward to testing himself against the quality opposition that Leinster will present.

“Leinster are the champions for a reason. The log position doesn’t mean much right now – it’s still early in the season. Playing away from home is always tough, but it’s the kind of game that brings out the best in players.

“These are the games you want to play, to measure where you’re at individually and as a team. We’re putting pressure on ourselves to perform, but in a positive way.”

It is not clear yet which Leinster Lions will be back, but the home team’s assistant coach Sean O’Brien, who stayed in Dublin to help prepare the returning players while the rest of the squad was in South Africa, has confirmed that many of the Lions will be returning to the team this week.