If the Springboks go on to win the Rugby World Cup, a player who could provide a moment of magic to secure the trophy is their very own ‘Viking Warrior’, the inimitable RG Snyman.
The towering lock can run like a back and he has the physical dimensions to make that one critical break that could set up a match-winning try in what would be a telling ‘Bomb Squad’ cameo.
Few know Snyman better than his teammate at Munster, fellow Bok lock Jean Kleyn, and the latter said it is a miracle that the giant is walking, never mind playing rugby.
“RG had repeated ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) (knee) injuries, which is pretty much a death sentence to most rugby players. In that time he had some family loss, which was terrible and the accident with the fire (at a Munster end-of-season party) as well. He went through an incredibly tough time,” Kleyn reflected this week from the Boks’ Toulon base.
‘Good friends’
“He’s a good friend of mine. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with his outlook on life. He was always positive, even though he was out of rugby for two years – he was still in the background trying to add value.
“If you speak to anyone at Munster, they will give you testament to the impact he has had at the club and he’s only played 10 games or something, of which most of them were this season,” Kleyn continued.
“RG is as head-strong a guy as I have ever met and probably will ever meet. Credit to him ... he went through absolute war and came out on top.”
Kleyn said the impact Snyman has had on Munster is mirrored in how they turned their United Rugby Championship (URC) season around to win the title.
“You could see the difference he made when he came into the team towards the end of the season. Without him, we wouldn’t have seen the result we saw, because he was instrumental in all the games leading up to and in the final.
“You can also see that in being recalled to the Springboks after virtually not playing rugby for three years. That takes some doing.”
Looking ahead to Ireland’s massive Pool B clash with Scotland on Saturday night (kick-off 9pm), Kleyn laughs off suggestions that the Irish might tread lightly to help the Scots qualify ahead of South Africa.
Only a narrow stretch of sea separates Ireland from Scotland, but Steyn said this hardly makes them friends.
Underlying tension
“There’s a little bit of animosity between the Irish and the Scots and there always has been, especially from a rugby perspective,” says Kleyn, who has lived in Ireland since 2016 and has played five Tests for the Emerald Isle.
“There’s a high level of attrition. At club level, you look at teams like Munster and Glasgow, there’s always been this underlying tension,” Kleyn explained. “I wouldn’t call it hatred but there’s a little bit of knife in the back.
“There’s a real combative thing about it and it is even more so when they play Test matches against each other.
“It’s very much magnified at international level. Everything’s a little bit closer to the bone and it is all a little bit more real. I think it’s going to be a serious match.”
Kleyn played for Ireland in the last World Cup, but since then has played only for Munster.
He was in the Munster second row – along with Snyman – when the URC was won in Cape Town earlier this year, so he knows the Ireland players inside out.
“We’re probably going to see Ireland win,” he predicted, before adding with a laugh: “But just because they beat us last week, I’d say I’d like to see Scotland win.
“No, realistically speaking, we’ll probably see Ireland come out victorious there. They’re a very good team at the moment.”
A reporter told Kleyn he looked relaxed going into a weekend when the result of the Scotland-Ireland game mathematically could see the Boks going home.
“Will I be relaxed on Saturday? Heck, no! This is my media face you are seeing,” he laughed.
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