Hollywoodbets Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am thinks beating Clermont Auvergne in Saturday’s blockbuster Challenge Cup semi-final will come down to a team effort.
The French outfit have won the competition three times, the last of which coming in 2019. They have struggled domestically this season though and currently lie 10th on the Top 14 log standings but their experience will give them a big boost this weekend.
Speaking ahead of the all-important matchup at The Stoop in London, Am says the hard graft in the Sharks’ camp has already started.
“In games like this, trying to get the best prep that you can [is vital]. We’ve done a great deal for ourselves putting ourselves in this position, and I think once you’re in the changeroom it’s just about having the confidence with the prep that you’ve done in the week.
“The hard yards are done right now, preparing for Saturday. Whenever we’re ready to go out there we shouldn’t have any doubts. We should go there with a lot of confidence.
“We’ve got a lot of characters in the team. Personally, I’m a guy that’s not much hyped up before games, but there are certain games that bring something different. I think this one is a big one for us, everyone will be very excited of playing semis against a quality side.”
On coming up against former All Black and current Tonga international George Moala in midfield, Am paid his respects but underlined the fact that nullifying his talents will boil down to the collective.
“[He’s] a quality player; he has been over the years. From my side it’s [about] doing my homework, just to know what’s coming and knowing his strengths and weaknesses.
“At the end of the day with all of that, I think it’s about going in with the correct mindset to the semis. We don’t make plans individually, we back our systems, we back our structures, and it’s just for each individual to pitch on the field with the right mindset.”
The double World Cup winner believes there are plenty of similarities between the teams but reckons Les Jaunards could spring a surprise or two.
“I think it’s going to be an all-round game. We back our set piece, but we also know they’ve got a good set piece going from their side. They do mix it up playing with their forwards and their backs, and with us as well it’s a like-for-like.
“We know it’s going to be an exciting game, and with all the prep that we’ve done and managed to work on, I think we’ve prepped best on what we’ve seen. But we know in a playoff game they could have a trick or two up their sleeves, and that may be something that we’ll rely on our systems [to stop].”
