The Cell C Sharks are delighted to announce the appointment of Springbok centre, Lukhanyo Am, as our captain for the 2020 Vodacom Super Rugby competition.

The 26-year-old started his rugby at Border before his career took off with the Southern Kings in 2016. Later that year he made the move north to Durban and hasn’t looked back.

Reacting to his appointment, Lukhanyo said: “It is a huge honour and privilege to be chosen to lead this team of brothers. We have an exciting new squad of players and management, who are eager to make their mark and to see us grow as a group.  We will all be working together with positivity and eagerness, making sure the team always comes first.”

As a senior Cell C Sharks player and a World Cup winning Springbok, he brings strong leadership qualities to the role and is someone that the players look up to because he has both played and achieved at the highest level, particularly for a new team looking for role models.

Although not an outspoken person by nature, his quiet confidence instils a sense of calm and assuredness in those around him and his talent on the field motivates others to perform at a high level.

Because he leads by example, his team-mates will naturally rally around him, will be inspired by his actions and will follow his lead.

Commenting on Lukhanyo’ s appointment, Head Coach Sean Everitt stated: “Lukhanyo brings a winning culture to the Cell C Sharks.  He has an enormous presence in the team and is a brilliant rugby player.

“I respect his commitment and dedication to the Cell C Sharks and I have no doubt that his captaincy role will inspire the young players around him to give off their best.”

“Lukhanyo will be ably assisted by a group of co-leaders who will provide valuable input and support in key areas of the Cell C Sharks game, added Everitt.

“Scrumhalf Louis Schreuder, himself no stranger to a leadership role, will assist with game management, while Andre Esterhuizen will provide defensive support, with another World Cup winner in Makazole Mapimpi managing our transition and Curwin Bosch assisting with our attack. From a forward perspective, Thomas du Toit will assist with set-piece feedback.”

With less than two weeks to go to the start of the tournament, Coach Everitt has also announced his 45-man squad who will do duty during the Cell C Sharks 2020 campaign.

Cell C Sharks 2020 Vodacom Super Rugby Squad