"It was something that I thought I wouldn’t be able to achieve," the Springbok lock said.
Springbok lock RG Snyman said he will always cherish his 50th Test match, though he described it as “chaotic” and “interesting”.
He reached the milestone at Aviva Stadium — one of the homes of his club Leinster — against several of his Leinster teammates playing for Ireland on Saturday night. Ahead of the match, he said he would play a “little bit harder” against them.
But an underpar Springbok performance won out 24-13 in a match that lasted more than two hours due to all the stoppages and restarts.
Ireland was completely outplayed in the scrum battle, but discipline let them down as they incurred four yellow cards and a red. Irish lock James Ryan received the yellow card upgraded to red for a reckless shoulder charge into a ruck, while most of the yellow cards came after repeated infringements at scrum time or when Ireland were offside defending in their try line.
South Africa also received two yellow cards – one going against Snyman, though it was recalled for an earlier error in play – and also conceded a penalty when they celebrated a turnover. They rarely capitalised on their numerical advantage, even when Ireland were down to 12 men for a while.
‘Similar situation’ to Bok reds
Snyman said it was interesting that Ireland received so many cards after the Springboks had been in a “similar situation” with their two permanent red cards against France (Lood de Jager) and Italy (Franco Mostert, whose card was rescinded in the week).
The Boks had felt hard done by the referees in those matches, and Ireland felt the same in Dublin.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game where it was as chaotic as it was tonight,” Snyman said.
“It was definitely interesting. But I thought the boys handled it well. We adapted to what was happening.”
He said playing against familiar faces at one of Leinster’s home stadiums was nice, but the week was more special because his wife, Saskia, was there and his teammates made him feel at home.
“I really appreciate the occasion and the game, it is something I will appreciate forever.”
He said three seasons hampered by injuries made reaching the milestone more meaningful.
“It was something that I thought I wouldn’t be able to achieve. But for me personally, it is something special. It’s something I’ll remember forever. Just the way the guys handled the week and handled me throughout the week was special for me.”
Snyman happy with Springbok standings on tour
On a team front, Snyman said the Springboks were achieving their goals, having four wins out of four on the end-of-year tour – against Japan, France, Italy and now Ireland.
“The Irish team is great. They are very focused and it is always physical against them. I am quite happy with the result.”
He applauded his teammates who adapted to the permanent red cards, with flankers Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon going off the field for lock Ruan Nortjé in those matches, and other possible changes of plans.