RG Snyman undergoes skin graft surgery, set to miss Lions

Munster second row RG Snyman is unlikely to feature for the Springboks during the British & Irish Lions series after undergoing skin graft surgery.

The surgery comes after the towering second row was burned in a ‘fire pit’ accident in Ireland earlier this year and his chances of starring for the Boks was described as ‘small’ by assistant coach Deon Davids.  Snyman sustained “substantial burns to their legs, hands and face” after he attended a braai along with club teammates Damian DeAllende, CJ Stander and Mike Haley, who also required treatment after being involved in the nightmarish domestic accident.

“RG Snyman is currently out of the squad, he is not with us,” Davids told reporters. “He went for a skin graft operation.

Springboks Deon Davids on RG Snyman’s injury

Springboks Deon Davids on RG Snyman’s injury

“Obviously, he will start his process of rehabilitation and as he recovers and we get medical updates, he will return to the squad.”

The 6’9 second row was already recovering from a long-term knee injury, which had already placed a significant roadblock between him and any potential Test return. Snyman hasn’t played for the Springboks since the 2019 Rugby World Cup and played just seven minutes for Munster before suffering a season-ending ACL injury sustained against Leinster.

The fear for Springboks management is the possibility that South Africa could be without Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager.

Etzebeth was taken off at halftime against Georgia on Friday night, although Davids said that it was a rib injury and that they were hopeful that he would be back on the pitch ahead of the Tests. “Eben got a rib injury on Friday. The medical team are assessing him. Maybe a day or two. We will have a final call on him.”

Sales Sharks Lood de Jager has already been effectively ruled out of competing in the series. De Jager broke his tibia, damaged his ankle tore the medial meniscus in his knee clean off the bone in the most recent in a string of nasty injuries to befall the lock since the World Cup.