'Three or four guys screaming and shouting at me, it was brilliant'
Gentle giant RG Snyman got all emotional when reflecting on the dark times he endured before stepping off the bench on Saturday night to become the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup semi-final try-scoring hero.
Just two years ago, the 6ft 9in lock’s career seemed to be in tatters. He’d just suffered his second torn ACL injury in the space of 12 months and the outlook was bleak.
He had joined Munster with a view to becoming the engine room linchpin who could lift them out of the doldrums. Instead, two seasons at the club essentially amounted to a miserly four appearances.
The 28-year-old, though, inspiringly refused to bend. Last season’s comeback culminated in a dream URC title-winning run off the bench away to the Stormers in Cape Town, and he was again left feeling like he was top of the world just 21 weeks later.
His crucial 69th-minute semi-final try versus England left the Springboks poised to go on and complete their 16-15 comeback win with a monster Handre Pollard penalty nine minutes later.
A couple of hours later, he was in the middle of a mixed zone in the bowels on Stade de France reflecting on the madness of it all, going from a hospital bed where there seemed to be no tomorrow to leaving his country completely overjoyed.
“It’s obviously been a difficult road but it’s honestly such an honour for me to be back in the squad and to be able to play,” enthused Snyman with a smile when asked by RugbyPass to reflect on his arduous journey from injury rehab in Limerick to playing a crucial part in getting the Springboks through to a World Cup final against the All Blacks.
“We worked really hard to put ourselves in the best position and to give ourselves the opportunity to play in the final, so for me personally it feels unreal just to be playing my part in the team. It will probably only settle in after the World Cup.”
The moral of Snyman’s motivating comeback story is to never give up no matter what the difficult circumstances are. A bit like the Springboks and their refusal to lose.
“Exactly and that is something we speak about a lot in the week leading up to games, a lot of people in South Africa never give up and that’s where we get that from, that spirit from South Africa that drives us.”
It was on the second phase play from a lineout that Snyman successfully drove at the England line, spinning around to dot the ball down despite the hold-up attentions of Joe Marchant and Jonny May. He was chuffed.
“I could feel them trying to get underneath me and luckily I could spin out of it and get the ball down and then looking up just seeing three or four guys fuckin’, sorry, screaming and shouting at me. Yeah, it was brilliant.
“Honestly, anyone could have scored that try. Deon Fourie ran such a beautiful line off the back of that lineout. There was so much space on the openside, actually anyone who would have gotten the ball would have scored the try.”
"They refuse to give up…"
– Springboks boss Jacques Nienaber lauded his team's defiance against England in their Rugby World Cup semi-final. #RWC2023 #ENGvRSA #Springboks pic.twitter.com/ohIjfBKTYD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 22, 2023
Snyman was an open book regarding his hot take on the semi-final, hoovering up questions from elsewhere about the latest successful detonation of the bomb squad and his pack’s scrummaging prowess which helped to swing momentum and earn the chance for that famed winning kick.
There was also a wonderful throwback to 1995, the last time the Springboks faced the All Blacks in the World Cup final.
Kicking off with his team’s judicious use once again of its bench, Snyman, a 46th-minute introduction for Eben Etzebeth, reckoned: “It’s just a lot of hard work and I must say the leadership group we have is something special.
“It keeps us mentally in the game and even with Siya (Kolisi) having gone off the field already, the rest of the guys really made the step up and kept us sharp and kept us in the game at the end.
“Us as a group, we really understand our roles and we know what we need to do and if the situation needs the bomb squad to step up and finish the game off like we did today and last week, then that is what we do. We all understand what we need to do and we all understand our roles really well.
“It’s also the input we give to each other sitting on the bench. We constantly make plans and you know having guys like Handre and Willie (le Roux) on the bench also helps a lot because they can see the game from a different perspective and they have that experience. It’s very important for us to just stick together and make sure when we go on we do that job.”
It wasn’t just about performing on the night, though, that got the Springboks through to the decider. Relentless training groundwork laid the essential foundation, with guys such as Marvin Orie revelling in replicating the role of England’s Maro Itoje.
“I can’t credit enough the guys that aren’t on the field in that 80 minutes. The prep that they do in the week and the amount of time they put in to actually study the opposition players and then show us those pictures in the week, I honestly can’t credit them enough. It’s unbelievable the work they do and the effort they put into that,” he said before specifically talking scrums.
“That’s the plan, get the fresh legs on and then put a bit more weight into it maybe. I don’t think we do anything differently, just again the way we train in the week is actually – we face tougher scrums in the week so I think that the thing… I have scrummed behind a couple of props in my career but I don’t think anyone comes close to the strength of Ox (Nche). He’s truly a special player.”
Just like the fixture that now awaits the Springboks. Snyman was only five months old when Francois Pienaar hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup aloft in Johannesburg, Joel Stransky’s drop goal enough to bag the extra-time victory. But he knows the tapestry of that exalted day inside out.
“It’s actually a special game to be part of,” he raved. “For me growing up, my grandfather would have taped all those 1995 games and that is what I grew up watching, that is how I learned rugby, so it’s basically from that game. Yeah, I find myself in a similar situation and it’s something truly special.”
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments