MHR: 5 things to know about New Zealander Ben Lam, Montpellier’s new winger

1. He has a career with the New Zealand 7s . team

Despite his athletic and technical qualities, Ben Lam was not selected with the All-Blacks team on the 15th. However, he does have experience with his nation, having played for many years with the New Zealand Sevens.

Joining the national team at the age of seven in 2012, he quickly found success by winning the World Rugby Seven Series in 2013 and 2014.

Unfortunately, his momentum slowed as a knee injury prevented him from participating in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

2. He comes from a family of rugby players

5, they are 5 lam to make rugby their career. A rather amazing character when you know the difficulties of getting into the professional rugby world.

First his older brother: Seilala (33), who has been playing in USAP since 2017 and has signed for several big shows.

His younger brother, A.J. (23), plays for the Auckland Blues of New Zealand, and is also promised a brilliant future in rugby. He, like his older brother, has already mistreated opposing defenses in Super Rugby.

But even in the extended family, there’s always a sharp blade (or lam) that exudes rugby and is ready to slice you.

So we can cite Jack Lamm, his cousin and former Samoan captain, as well as the youngest Dylan Lamm who signed up with CA Brive as a medical clown. For the Lam family, rugby is part of the family.

3. He was the top scorer in the league

He is known for his ability to break through defenses with great noise and an impressive top speed for such a physique.

This style of play makes it a sequential tag. He is the record holder for the number of attempts he scored in a single season in Super Rugby, with a score of 16 in 2018. He scored 5 attempts with Union Bordeaux Bigles last season.

4. He has outstanding athletic qualities

If he is famous as one of the best wingers in the top 14 list, it is thanks to his athletic qualities that allow Ben Lam to break through tackles and be very aggressive in the line of supremacy. He runs 100 meters in less than 11 seconds, is 1 meter 94 and weighs about 110 kilograms. Beautiful beast.

5. He founded the New Zealand Book Club.

To end on a lighter note, the anecdote can make you smile. In response to a question from L’Equipe, Ben Lam admitted his passion for reading, which he passed on to his teammates. “With Ardie (Savea) we created a book club. Everyone read a book, and then we talked about it amongst ourselves. We take the initiative to have dinner among the guys once a week. It was positive to avoid being trapped in the rugby bubble.”

Everyone read a book, and then we talked about it amongst ourselves.

A giant, yes, but above all a lover of literature.