Cape Town — So good has Lukhanyo Am been over the past few seasons that there aren’t really any other candidates for the Springbok No 13 jersey.
The silky midfielder with the magic touch, Am has been a rock for the world champions, delivering their finest moment during the 2019 World Cup final with a no-look pass to his good friend Makazole Mapimpi, who scored the first ever Bok try in a title decider for the Webb Ellis Cup.
The 29-year-old Sharks star admitted recently that he has not been at his absolute best for his franchise this season after coming back from a serious knee injury last year that he sustained on Test duty.
But there is no doubting his class and temperament, and he will use the time since the end of the United Rugby Championship to get into peak condition ahead of the Bok Test season, which starts against Australia on July 8.
Am’s defensive organisation is crucial to the way the Boks function, as they often sniff out turnover opportunities to launch counter-attacks from broken play.
His ability to read the play and manage the Boks’ rush defence ensures that the South Africans are almost always able to close down the opposition’s space.
But it is those terrific little manoeuvres with ball-in-hand that sets Am apart. He just seems to be in the right place at the right time, as he was with Mapimpi’s World Cup final try, as well as making the pick-up off the ground to Pieter-Steph du Toit, which led to Cheslin Kolbe’s touchdown in Yokohama.
And who can forget that unbelievable behind-the-back offload to Sbu Nkosi, which set up Damian de Allende’s try against the All Blacks in 2021?
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber does need to identify a back-up to Am, though, in case of injury, with the best-performing South African No 13 in the URC being Stormers star Ruhan Nel.
The Bok management, though, prefer Japan-based Jesse Kriel, while De Allende and Andre Esterhuizen can also slot in at No 13 when required.
But there is no doubt that Am deserves to be the outside centre of attention.
