It would be a hard task to call a double World Cup-winning Springbok a “forgotten player” - especially when he still believes he is in the prime of his career, but for Lukhanyo Am, that is a tag that has been thrown about a bit.
Injuries and a general absence from the game has put him on the backburner in fans’ eyes. Out of sight, out of mind, it seems.
But Am’s Springbok ambitions still burn very bright, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone who has dealt with him before to know he harbours a deep desire to be part of the Bok group to try and make it a three-peat.
Currently playing in Japan League One with the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars where he finds himself among a host of foreigners - former Bulls lock Walt Steenkamp, Friedle Olivier, Gideon Koegelenberg and All Blacks Jackson Hemopo and Brad Weber.
This isn’t his first stint in Japan as well - in 2022 he was on sabbatical at the Kobe Steelers - and enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to return.
DESIRE IS STILL THERE
But the desire to play for the Springboks is very much alive.
“Yeah, I think the desire is still there,” he said from Japan. “ I mean, I am still competitive, you know, still playing in a quality competition and obviously trying to play my best rugby. And obviously there's processes, you know, in place.
“But I do back the coaching staff, if a player does play well, if a player does show the desire and if the player still meets the Springbok requirements, he should get the opportunity.
"So from my base, I think it's playing my part, playing my role. Hopefully I will be able to work myself back into the group, because it's just a special group and playing for a national team will always be the pinnacle.
“At the moment, I’m just working on my game, making sure I’m lifting my standards all the time.”
But with so many youngsters coming through, and the competition being tougher to get back in the team than before, Am has his work cut out for him.
That challenge is something that makes him smile. After all, this is a player who made a career out of exceeding people’s expectations and the value of him in a squad cannot be underlined more.
NEED TO BE GOOD ENOUGH
So what would it take to get back into the squad at the age of 32.
“Firstly, I need to be good enough. I need to be good enough to be able to be selected and be able to compete at that level. What I can control is first taking care of my body, making sure I'm fit, making sure I'm in a good condition, not just for the league that I'm playing in, but for a national or test level condition.
“So that's what I can control. And that's the challenge that I have. And then for the Springbok or the coaching staff, once, as a player, you tick their boxes, they'll definitely call you into the squad, a broader squad and then it is up to you.”
Am said it was “bittersweet” to watch the Boks from the sidelines while he was injured, and it has spurred him to want to get back to fitness to try and make it back into the Bok camp.
“I think this game we play is really tough. I think injuries happen. And some guys pick up their fitness quicker, some guys a bit longer. And I think for me, you know, I'm experienced enough and I've had my ups and downs throughout my career.
Being sidelined is always tough. But it's also a bittersweet feeling, watching your boys doing well. Also it's actually tough. You want to be part of a special group. You want to make those memories.
“It was tough, but also it was so rewarding watching the boys doing well. So, yeah, it's been a bittersweet feeling.”
BACK IN ALIGNMENT CAMP
Am was invited to the overseas alignment camp held virtually last month, so he isn’t out of the picture. That alone would serve as a motivation to work harder.
“I think it was a special moment getting a nod on being involved in the alignment camp or the external alignment camp. Knowing the coaches are still keeping an eye on us over this side. And it was also a motivator for me, knowing that I'm still in the radar or coaches are still looking at what I've been doing in Japan.”
Having the selection policy that doesn’t bar players from overseas playing for the national side is unique to South Africa, with others like New Zealand stopping their players from representing the All Blacks if they are abroad. Am believes it has been a big part of the Boks’ success.
“For us, it's been a real advantage, having this big group and with players being able to play overseas with different experiences, different coaching styles, and growing their game, then coming back to South Africa, representing their country with all of this information and trying to align that.
“Credit to the Springbok coaching staff for being able to do that. But it's really shown it's a success, and for us as a group, it's really helped us, really been an advantage, being able to have the depth and still being able to back your local talent and players. Having that experience in the camp has been really beneficial for us.”
ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO PLAY IN JAPAN
And would he encourage others to come to Japan?
“Yeah, I'll definitely encourage them to come, especially for our backs. I think I'm very competitive. We play exciting players, exciting backs, and whether you're a flyhalf, whether you're a winger or a centre, it is great. It might be a different ballgame for forwards.
“I can't really comment much on that, but the quality of rugby, moving the ball, trying to identify space, it just helps you as a back. It just grows your game. I mean, I think if we look overall - and I don't know whether that's a coincidence or not - the previous World Rugby Players of the year have all been playing in Japan. Ardi Savea, Pieter-Steph (du Toit), and Malcolm Marx.
“So it really does show that players do become better players, still stay at a competitive edge and being able to perform for the national team. So yeah, I'd definitely encourage guys to come over here.”
Am will continue his role at the Dynaboars, where Kurt-Lee Arendse will join him next season.
And if he finds the same magic that Du Toit and Marx have in Japan, he could still be a major asset for the Boks.
And just before the World Cup as well.