Veteran Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am wants to prove that an old dog can be taught new tricks in his big return to Test rugby this weekend.
South Africa take on Portugal tomorrow at 5pm in Bloemfontein with Am wearing the No.13 jersey for the first time in almost a year when the 30-year-old plays in his 36th Test.
His last Test for the Boks was on August 8 last year in a World Cup warm-up game against Argentina in Buenos Aires in which the centre suffered a knee injury.
And although he was a late injury call-up for last year’s World Cup, Am did not get any game time as the Boks went on to lift the trophy with Jesse Kriel as outside centre.
But Am has been patiently waiting to get his chance while soaking up new Bok attack coach Tony Brown’s planne to evolve the world champions’ playing style.
Signs of the Boks’ new attacking threats were seen in the Twickenham Test against Wales and first Test victory against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld, but former All Blacks flyhalf Brown’s hand was absent as SA went down 25-24 to the Shamrocks in the second game in Durban.
Am did not feature in those Tests, but says of getting ‘Plan Brown’ to click against Portugal: “We’ve only played three games…
“It will click at some point and I think the alignment camps gave us some kind of intro to it but it’s definitely something that is gonna need action on the field, you know, cohesion on attack.
“And it will definitely take time, but I think the sooner we gel and click we will definitely be a dangerous attacking team.”
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 19, 2024
Of his long awaited return to Bok rugby and pushing Kriel for the No.13 spot, the Sharks ace says: “I think one thing that we as a squad have managed to do really well is having healthy competition while building depth in the group.
“It keeps you, as a player, accountable on bringing your A-game, making sure you do your prep and being the best version of yourself in training and on game day.”
Lukhanyo Am is back in a Springbok jersey for the first time in a year and he's excited to be a part of such a talented squad ⭐️🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/rEBT0c108c
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 17, 2024