Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am said on Friday he was loaded and ready to “to do the job” if he is called on to play depending on the outcome of Saturday’s Pool B match between Ireland and Scotland after joining the Rugby World Cup squad in Toulon on Wednesday.
Am suffered a knee injury in the team’s RWC warm-up match against Argentina in Buenos Aires early in August, but he has recovered fully from the injury and has been in high spirits since joining his teammates at their training base in France.
“It’s a good feeling to be back,” said Am.
“It’s special to be part of this group. It was frustrating being injured and to have to follow the World Cup from home. It was as though something you love is taken away from you.
“But I’ve been working hard and I’m very fortunate to have been called up to the squad.”
Am may not have played rugby since suffering the injury which ruled him out of Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s initial 33-man RWC squad, but he says he has been putting in the hard yards on the training field.
“I’ve been working hard on my running and getting my fitness levels as high as possible in the last few weeks, especially given the demands of international rugby,” said Am.
“Training is obviously not the same as playing a game, but I knew it was vital to keep up to speed to be ready in case I received the call.
“When you are on standby you have to be loaded at all times and ready, so I made sure I was switched on mentally and ensured that I was ready physically as well.”
Am added: “The mental side is the most important in a situation such as that. But I’ve been cleared to play, I’m fit, and if I make the match 23 in the next match, I’ll be ready to do the job for the team.
“It's my responsibility to get back into the swing of things as quickly as possible and to be ready to slot into the team if I’m called upon to do so.”
Am admitted that while watching the team play from afar was weird, he enjoyed seeing his teammates in action in France, where they defeated Scotland, Romania, and Tonga to place themselves in a good position to qualify for a quarter-final.
“It was strange (watching on television) because I know how things are in camp and the plans that are made around the opposition, but it was also beautiful to watch the team play from a different perspective, while also preparing to possibly be part of the team.”
The Boks returned to the training field on Wednesday after two days off and followed that up with training sessions on Thursday and Friday where they continued to put the groundwork in place for a possible quarter-final spot.
The team will have Saturday off and will resume training on Sunday if they advance to the top eight.