RG Snyman thrilled to be back in Bok mix: ‘It’s special’

Herculean lock RG Snyman is thrilled to be back in the Springbok mix after a long four year period out of the national setup due to serious knee injuries that threatened to scupper his career.

Snyman’s last appearance for the Boks was off the bench in the 2019 World Cup final, with him since barely playing any rugby after making a move to Munster in Ireland, where he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury, which he would reinjure soon after recovering.

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This kept him out of rugby until March this year, where he made his club rugby return and has enjoyed a fantastic few months which saw him lift the United Rugby Championship trophy and earn a recall to the Boks.

‘Privilege’

It isn’t lost on Snyman how privileged he is to be back in the Bok mix, especially in a World Cup year.

“It’s great to be back. I’ve been here sort of in between the injuries, but to actually be with the squad and able to train fully is something different and something special for me,” said Snyman.

“It’s something I have learnt through this time, not to take it for granted. It was a very tough thing for me not being able to play for the Springboks. But it was also the thing that drove me to get back and get myself to a place where I can be back here.

“It is not your right to be here but a privilege. It isn’t easy to be here. The nice thing about having been here before is that you know what it took to get here. I know if I work and play hard enough then hopefully I will get the chance to play.”

Ease back

One of the things which will help Snyman ease straight back into the system is that nothing much has changed in the four years that he has been out.

The Boks have the same coaching team that was at the 2019 World Cup, while retaining a large number of players that were involved in the showpiece event.

Particularly in the lock department, every member that was part of the 2019 edition is in the current Bok squad, with the addition of Snyman’s Munster teammate Jean Kleyn.

“It is definitely easier to come back into the system when you’ve worked with guys before and you know them. So they actually got me up to speed pretty quickly. That’s been the biggest difference after being away for so long, that connection with the other guys,” admitted Snyman.

“The most important thing about this squad is we understand our role. We work towards that and we work well together. We strengthen each other. The competition between us is actually great. I think it brings the best out of us. That will only allow us to get better.”