Springboks: Lukhanyo Am hailed as ‘the best centre in the world’
Springboks player Lukhanyo Am during the Round 6 Rugby Championship match between South Africa Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks at CBus Stadiumon the Gold Coast, Saturday, October 2, 2021. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY ** STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE, NO BOOKS **
Sharks head coach Sean Everitt believes that Lukhanyo Am is the world’s best centre after he played another starring role at the weekend.
The South African midfield ace scored a superb individual try on Saturday, taking the ball straight from the restart, kicking ahead and touching down.
It helped the Durban-based outfit to a 29-22 United Rugby Championship victory over the Bulls – their fourth league win of the season.
One of the best players on the field
“I am totally convinced‚” Everitt told reporters. “We do have the best centre in the world.
“The try he scored just before half-time and the steal towards the end of the match are moments that take the wind out of your sails. When he plays at 13 he is probably one of the best players on the field‚ and when we play him at 12 he has been one of the best on the field.
“If you go back to the days when he used to play wing for the Kings‚ he was probably the best on the field.”
At the age of 28, Am is probably still yet to reach his peak and Everitt believes that the Springbok star can still improve.
“It is hard to say (how he is going to be in the coming years) but every time he puts on the Sharks or the Springbok jersey he seems to make magic,” he added.
“He is an unbelievable rugby player. I think what happens with age is that you make better decisions whether on attack or defence.
“You execute a little better because you understand the game more because you have experienced situations more often. You get it right and he certainly got that. One will have to wait and see whether he will lose his pace when he gets older but he is certainly in fine form at the moment.”
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