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Leinster sign Springbok RG Snyman from rivals Munster

(Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster have confirmed the signing of double World Cup winning Springbok RG Snyman from bitter rivals Munster ahead of next season, where he will team up with his former South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber.

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The 28-year-old is set to join on a one-year deal, RugbyPass understand, bringing his stay in Ireland to five years.

Ever since South Africa were crowned world champions for a record fourth time in October, the 117kg lock had been linked with a move away, with Gallagher Premiership outfit Bath being frontrunners to recruit him. It only emerged in the past week that Munster’s Irish rivals were eyeing the 34-cap Springbok, with the lure of teaming up with Nienaber again surely being a factor.

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      Nienaber arrived at Leinster at the end of November after finishing his time with the Springboks, but will enjoy the services of Snyman again next season, who was a pivotal member of the Bomb Squad in France, scoring a crucial try against England from the bench in the semi-final.

      Snyman joined Munster in 2020 after a short stint with Mie Honda Heat in Japan, but his time with the province has been beset by injuries, which started with him rupturing his ACL seven minutes into his debut against none other than Leinster in August that year. He is currently out of action after suffering a shoulder/chest injury in the World Cup final which required surgery.

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      Given the injury record that the South African has, this poses a huge risk to the four-time European champions when considering the eye-watering salary he is expected to receive in Dublin.

      The announcement comes just before the two sides meet next Tuesday at Thomond Park, which may add some extra spice to what is already a fierce rivalry.

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      After the move was announced, Snyman said: “Having settled really well in Limerick since our arrival in Ireland almost four years ago, my wife and I want to stay on in Ireland if possible.

      “Continuing with Munster Rugby beyond June of 2024, was no longer a choice I could exercise. I will continue to give my absolute all and best for Munster, on and off the field, until the end of the season.

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      “After careful consideration of all offers presented, the Leinster opportunity was the one I decided on. It is an invitation that allows me to continue to stay part of a world class high performance rugby set-up. It also enables my wife and I to stay in Ireland.

      “I am a professional rugby player. I need to work very hard to see to it that I add value to any system that trusts me enough to improve its cause. At Leinster, I will continue to be challenged to my utmost limit to improve my game and hopefully contribute to improve the club. That will be my only job and I intend to do everything to achieve this at the highest level of performance.

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      “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and to work under Jacques Nienaber again. I want to thank Leinster for making it possible.”

      Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: “We’re delighted that RG is joining us next season. He is a world class operator, coming into his prime and a powerful athlete who will bring more competition to that position for our squad.

      “He is also a double-World Cup winning Springbok and all that brings in terms of experience and all our players can tap into that. We are always looking for ways we can improve our learning as a group and I know from speaking to Jacques that RG will hopefully help us do just that.

      “His arrival is a fair bit away yet, but it’s great to have his signature and in time we can welcome him properly, but for now it’s all eyes on our trip down to Limerick on St Stephen’s Day.”

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      Comments

      1 Comment
      B
      Briain 589 days ago

      As great a player as he is. Does Leinster really need him, They have excellent homegrown talent there and I’m sure his salary is large

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      SK 1 hour ago
      Lessons the Wallabies must heed to turn Lions heartbreak into future success

      Brett I love your fresh take on the picture that needed to be painted and ultimately wasnt. I agree there just wasnt enough in it for the ref to call it back and ultimately the ref was consistent the whole night at the breakdown. Australia are damned disheartened now but look how close it came to beating a team Campo said would thrash them by 30. This is the perfect prep for the Rugby Championship and the Boks and NZ. The Boks will be able to bring a scary pack to face the Aussies but it will be just as scary as facing these lads and so the Wallabies for me are making progress. They are not quite the finished article and the soft moments and tries and passive defence just proves it. Schmidt was brought in to make Australia better, he was brought in to make sure Australia improved in time for the Lions to avoid an embarrassment and look he has done that and taken them close so while the result is gutting its a job well done so far. lets see if they can take one step further and pilfer a test off these patchy Lions. Just a quick word on refs and the laws. Can we please tell World Rugby to simplify the game. At least 5 or 6 laws were examined in the wake of the last minute cleanout and several said Tizzano should have been pinged, others say Morgan should have been pinged. If former players and refs cant agree on what the right call was then it means the game is too complex. The refs have a clear mandate to let the game flow. I agree with that but the laws must support the refs. Right now they do not and leave too many holes for the refs to plug. The result is a furore after every major engagement between nations where the refs are abused.

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      I
      IkeaBoy 2 hours ago
      'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne

      I’m a proud Irishman with a weakness for the underdog. My only stake in the game was an Aussie win to take the series to a decider. Even overlooking the actual clear out - which was the only thing Piardi instructed the TMO to review - I think it’s very easy to be objective and say that Australia got done on the calls.


      It’s a phase of play that unfolds in less than 10 seconds but is fairly easy to breakdown.


      1 - Ryan (#19 Lions) is tackled legally, goes to ground in possession of the ball but makes no effort to release the ball. He has to immediately once he goes to ground. PENALTY.


      2 - Tizzano (#21 Australia) is first man to the ball (from either team) and forms the ruck with his own hindfoot. Side entry doesn’t apply to him as the ruck is not formed at this stage but rather it’s formed by him. NO PENALTY.


      3 - Even to completely ignore the actual clear out (penalty/no penalty), foul play can still have occurred without the need for a HIA. The fact that Tizzano is walking around and available for the next match doesn’t mean he didn’t get emptied. His mouthguard data does seem to have registered an almighty force though. 50/50.


      4 - Both Morgan (#20 Lions) and Genge (#17 Lions) go to clear out but both do so by driving through the ruck off their feet and falling over the ball. Sealing. PENALTY


      5 - I still don’t understand why none of the coverage picks up on this - Morgan holds Tizzano’s feet in a wrap on the pitch after the clear out. On the match clock it’s 79.03 to 79.07 before he releases. Playing the player off the ball. PENALTY


      Piardi controls the narrative when reviewing with the TMO and starts on the wrong foot. The discussion is all on the basis that both sets of players arrive at the same time (which changes mitigation around foul play) which they don’t. They clearly don’t as Tizzano is first to the ball.


      For 79 mins that match was brilliant. The crowd was brilliant. The atmosphere seemed brilliant. It’s a loss on the sport that a gang of mic’d up officials can not get it right.

      179 Go to comments
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