Boks are primed and ready, says Am
Wounded Wallabies should not be underestimated, says centre ahead of Sunday’s showdown
Australia have a good mix of experienced and young players and should not be underestimated, though recent results did not go their way, says Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am. The Boks face four tough matches on the road in the Rugby Championship, starting with a clash against the Wallabies at the Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday (kickoff 12.05pm SA time).
Australia have a good mix of experienced and young players and should not be underestimated although recent results did not go their way, says Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am.
The Boks are facing four tough matches on the road in the Rugby Championship, starting with a clash against the Wallabies at the Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday (kickoff 12.05pm SA time).
Am will line up alongside fellow centre Damian de Allende in a pairing that spells trouble for the Aussies as they bid to regroup after two losses against the All Blacks.
Asked whether new faces in the Australian backline would struggle against an experienced Bok outfit, Am said: “Australia have a fairly balanced side with experienced players and a couple of new guys in the group.
“It means nothing. You can never underestimate your opponent or use that [inexperience] against them.
“I think the current Australian side are playing very good rugby and it is just unfortunate they have not been getting the results.
“From our side we are preparing as much we can to come out tops this weekend. As a new player coming into Test rugby it is definitely a huge step compared to local competitions or franchise rugby.
“For me it was nice coming into a group where there were a lot of experienced players around me which made my job relatively easy. I gained as much experience as I could from training camps and then took it into Test matches.
RICH HISTORY
The shared responsibility in the group kind of gave me the experience I have now.”
Am said the current Springbok centres wanted to build on the rich history SA has enjoyed in that position.
“In SA we are blessed with having great players, especially at centre, in the backline,” he said. “Our generation is taking over that responsibility and we feel we are doing a good job. We strive to improve at all times. I have played with Damian de Allende for just over two years and during the time we have played together I have gained good experience,” he said.
“We have got to learn and feed off each other and that is one of the key things. We are trying to be the best we can be for the team and it is really working well because we know what we are good at.
“At all times we know what we need to work on and we keep ourselves on our toes.”
Am said it was exciting to be back on the field after a long break because of Covid-19 after the Boks’ 2019 World Cup triumph in Japan. “It’s really been good to be back and playing Test matches again. My role in the team is definitely to be at my best at all times.
“We have managed to take up from the last time we played at the World Cup. We have a very good spirit and I think that gives opportunities for each and every individual to showcase their performance.”