Lukhanyo Am is on the shortlist to take home the World Rugby Men’s player of the Year award this weekend, following a spectacular 2022 season. And It hasn’t only been 2022, the man has been on fire since Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber took over the coaching reigns at the Springboks in 2018.
Am’s hard work in the midfield was one of the crucial ingredients that led to the Springbok’s 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph in Japan – as well as success thereafter. His ability to read the game and put himself in important positions on the field is second to none.
Lukhanyo Am is class
YouTube Rugby analyst, Robbie Owens, who is the brain behind the channel, Squidge Rugby, inadvertently called Am’s World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year nomination. In a video released in July this year titled, ‘So is Lukhanyo Am the best player in the world?’, Owens describes the Springbok centre as “class”.
“He’s unarguably one of the top five players on the planet right now,” says Squidge a few minutes into his breakdown of the player.
“It’s a pretty good argument that he might even be number one. He doesn’t really exist in a lineage of players as (Antoine) Dupont, (Emily) Scarratt or (Michael) Hooper does, he’s just kind of… something new.”
On the nominations shortlist is France’s scrum-half, Antoine Dupont, and the Irish duo of Flyhalf, Johnny Sexton and Loose forward, Josh van der Flier.
From Takkies to toks to boks
Lukhanyo Am hails from the Qonce in the Eastern Cape. He cut his rugby teeth at the Gladiators Rugby Academy in Margate and was soon after pulled into the Border bulldogs, under-19 squad.
The South African Rugby Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus recently reflected on Am’s meteoric rise.
“He’s just a really special player,” stated Erasmus at the Springbok media conference earlier this week.
“The first time Jacques (Nienaber) and I saw him was when we coached Border at club trials and this guy just stood out. I think he was playing with a pair of takkies and we phoned the agent from there and said ‘listen, you must look at this guy’.
He started his senior career at Border in 2103. The next year he moved to the Falcons, before returning to Border in 2015. In 2016, Lukhanyo featured in the Southern Kings set-up and then got pulled into the Sharks squad.
“He pushed right through to now being nominated as one of the world players of the year. It’s a pity he couldn’t showcase now at the end of the year what he can do. But we’re very proud of him. He had to fight really hard just to get into teams and proper systems and then on the field he’s just a fantastic player.”
The World Rugby Awards will take place on Sunday evening in Monaco.
