South Africa A coach Mzwandile Stick has explained the selection of Springbok outside centre Lukhanyo Am at 12 for Saturday’s match against Zimbabwe in Gqeberha. SIMON BORCHARDT reports.
The 32-year-old veteran has earned 42 Test caps, the most recent coming in November 2024. After leaving the Sharks, Am spent the 2025-26 season in Japan with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars and now returns to the South African set-up as one of the senior figures in a youthful SA A team.
Stick revealed that Am’s shift to inside centre has been on the Springbok coaches’ radar since the arrival of attack coach Tony Brown in 2024.
“I’ll be honest, since Tony joined us, one of his first messages was that he’d love to see Lukhanyo at 12,” said Stick. “Even when Lukhanyo was with us last year, he was running at 12 in training.
“But we couldn’t get the opportunity [to play him there] because we had Damian de Allende and André Esterhuizen.
“We looked at the players available [for the SA A match] and had discussions around who had the best profile for 12.
“With his experience, it was a great opportunity for Lukhanyo to take the lead there. He’s also vice-captain and it’s good to see him in good shape.
“He’s had a long season in Japan and hopefully injuries stay away from him.
“I’m happy to see him back.”
TEAM: Junior Boks spearhead SA A attack
The experienced Am will partner 18-year-old Markus Muller in midfield, while youngsters Luan Giliomee, Jaco Williams and Zekhethelo Siyaya form an exciting back three.
The team will be steered by Junior Boks flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, while another SA U20 player, Siphosethu Mnebelele, starts at hooker.
Stick explained the thinking behind the back-three selections.
“If you look at the cover we’ve got there, Luan is also a fullback, especially with his sevens background, and he’s settling nicely there,” he said.
“When we looked at the profile of the players, we felt Luan at the back would work well because 10s and 15s act more like playmakers in our system.
“Siyaya can also do that job and he’s a backup there. But looking at the profile of the players and the way we play, especially our kicking game, we felt Siyaya at wing would give us an advantage in the aerial battle.
“Jaco’s been knocking on the door. We always say size doesn’t matter to us and when you watch him play for the Sharks, you see he’s got a big heart and a massive work rate.
“When you look at the profile of Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jaco has the potential to become that type of player in future.”
TEAM: SA U20 captain starts for Boks, surprise at 10
While the youngsters bring plenty of attacking flair, Stick stressed that the coaches are looking beyond individual brilliance.
“The most important thing for us is whether they can do the basics the Springboks require,” he said.
“We appreciate the X factor and we want them to bring it, but the biggest test will be whether they can operate as a Springbok team.”
RASSIE: Boks see something in Quan at 10
Photo: Charle Lombard/Gallo Images
The post Stokke: Tony has wanted to see Lukhanyo at 12 appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
South Africa A coach Mzwandile Stick has explained the selection of Springbok outside centre Lukhanyo Am at 12 for Saturday’s match against Zimbabwe in Gqeberha.
The post Stokke: Tony has wanted to see Lukhanyo at 12 appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
