Springboks' hopes of defending World Cup rest on getting Am call right
Let’s work under the assumption that Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber wouldn’t waste around £3,000 (or R70,000) of SA Rugby’s money on a needless business class flight from Johannesburg to Paris.
There must be a reason they called upon the services of Lukhanyo Am to replace the injured Makazole Mapimpi. Well, only two reasons, really. Either he has made the 11 hour trip to carry tackle bags and water bottles, provide moral support and offer his services on the training pitch. Or the Springboks coaches are planning on shoehorning him into the match-day 23 as the defending champions gear up for a quarterfinal against France in Paris.
Only the former makes sense. The second could be disastrous for South Africa’s World Cup title aspirations.
A quick caveat before we continue. At his best, Am is one of the game’s best players. Not just one of the game’s best midfielders but one of the best anywhere on the park. His reading of space on both attack and defence is almost telepathic. He marshals a backline with Napoleonic control and combines natural athleticism with the softest of hands and the most delicate touches. They could replace rugby balls with quail eggs and Am would would go the whole 80 minutes without breaking one.
That is Am at his best but we he hasn’t been anywhere near that for some time. Between 2018 and 2022, he was making a serious claim to being the greatest outside centre in South Africa’s post-isolation period. No-look passes, behind-the-back-offloads, try-assists and a highlight reel bursting with wonder plays became his forte.
But two knee injuries – the first in September 2022 and the second in August this year during a World Cup warm-up match against Argentina in Buenos Aires – curtailed his progress. He wasn’t a spent force, but there was a clear lack of sharpness in both action and thought.
In a way he is a victim of his own success. It is only against his own ridiculous standards that we judge him. But elite sport is a cruel business, and taking a gamble on him now would be folly.
“Anyone who is in the squad will put their hand up for contention,” said Felix Jones, the Springboks assistant coach who pulled a play from the RassNaber book by keeping all eventualities open.
“We’ll see how he rocks up and how he performs in training over the next two weeks. He’s been doing a graduated return from his injury. We’ve been in contact with the Sharks’ medical staff about strength and conditioning in terms of the amount of rugby he’s been getting through at training. He’s been tracking very well and that’s why we’ve selected him.”
Jones continued: “Lukhanyo is quite an experienced player and he’s been part of the group for many years now. I think we can agree that when Lukhanyo’s at his best, he can slot into any team, and we will be banking on his experience and ability.”
There’s that caveat again and the word ‘if’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The truth is the Springboks can’t afford to gamble on a player even a fraction off the pace in the crucial slot at outside centre. Their defence is built around a frenetic blitz that is often ignited by the man at 13. Jesse Kriel has become the leader of this rush in Am’s absence and the stats show that when Kriel starts, the Springboks concede fewer line-breaks, make more tackles, concede fewer entries into their own 22, concede fewer points per the opposition’s entry into their 22 and they win more turnovers, a consequence of their tackle dominance and ability to isolate ball carriers.
Whether or not Antoine Dupont plays in that quarterfinal, France will look to cut their way through or work their way around the onrushing men in green. Canan Moodie is one of the most gifted and exciting young talents in the world, but he was twice exposed by Tonga when tasked with the job of defending the outside centre channel – by all accounts one of the toughest assignments on a rugby pitch.
Kriel has to start against France. With a 6-2 bench split being the most likely approach the Boks’ coaches will take, there is simply no room for Am. One of those backs has to be a scrum-half with Cobus Reinach in the driver’s seat given his extra pace and ability to cover wing. And the other member on the bench has to either have a turn of pace or possess the attributes to run a backline. Even if the Boks go 5-3 to better accommodate both Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard in the match-day 23, they would still have to start Kriel at 13.
So, where does this leave Am? And, more to the point, why exactly was he included in the squad when selecting a hooker might have made more sense?
Now we’re getting into intangibles. The Springboks are a team that runs on vibes and narrative. Am’s inclusion, and indeed his own arc, from world-beater to injured outcast to returning hero, is worthy of an episode in a documentary series.
There’s already a video doing the rounds on social media of Siya Kolisi greeting Am on the training pitch. South Africa’s captain wears the look of someone stumbling upon a long-lost mate on a deserted beach somewhere. He can barely contain his joy and the pair embrace like Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins at the end of Shawshank Redemption.
Selecting a player for the gees – Afrikaans for spirit – has been done before and to good effect. Bobby Skinstad’s contributions off the field during the triumphant World Cup of 2007 were more important than anything he did on the pitch in France. The same is true of Schalk Brits and his role in 2019.
Besides carrying tackle bags and replicating the attacking patterns of the French midfield, Am could play that role over the next fortnight. If he does, South Africa might get the energy boost needed to beat the hosts on their own patch. Anything more, though, and Am’s 11 hour return flight might come sooner than was hoped.
Comments on RugbyPass
If Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
69 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
69 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
222 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
222 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
29 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
222 Go to comments