Am blames Sharks’ lack of bite on Bok regulars

Sharks outside centre Lukhanyo Am has pinned the team’s disappointing season in the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship on the ins and outs of the Springboks. 

The Durban franchise built a Galactico reputation by collecting the core of the Springboks. They counted Am, Siya Kolisi, Makazole Mapimpi, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, Jaden Hendrikse and a strong supporting cast among their Bok ranks. 

When the Sharks had the Boks with them, the team sheet was terrifying and they were overly dominant and without them, they were spineless and became the whipping boys. That destabilised the team’s culture and performances as they eventually fell short in the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup and URC. 

Speaking to Sowetan during his unveiling as the ambassador of Danone’s DanUp yesterday, Am reflected on how the season has been for the Sharks. 

“We have had ups and downs. I don’t want it to sound like an excuse but having guys come in and out from the national team, having a big group that’s away halfway through the season and coming in late, that was one of the issues of not having continuity,” Am said. 

“We managed to make playoffs rugby, which is one of the things we wanted. From the playoffs anything can happen. One thing we were not happy with was not securing home quarters in both competitions. We all know how important it is to play home games when it comes to playoff rugby. That’s a learning curve for us going into next season, trying to find ways of being fluent with guys coming in and out,” he said. 

With the Sharks having a bulk of the Springboks, expectations were high and they did not meet them. Although the Boks may have been the Achilles heel of the Sharks, they did have a positive influence on the rest of the group.

“In the camp, it did give guys confidence and I think we had a positive impact in the group. We have got experienced players coming in from the national team and we got to strengthen the side, it did help,” Am said.

“In this game, you need 1 to 23, you can’t rely on names or individuals.”

On his partnership, Am stated: “I am honoured to be the ambassador of DanUp as it is a brand fuelling a generation of men to develop a healthy outlook through balanced habits for physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.”