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Leinster table €500k for Springbok second row RG Snyman
Leinster have tabled a whopping €500,000 a season for the services of Springboks second row RG Snyman, who is expected to sign for the Irish province.
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While it is yet to be confirmed, reports in Ireland over the last week have suggested that Snyman will sign for the URC heavyweights, with new senior coach Jacques Nienaber using his influence to land the Rugby World Cup from Irish rivals Munster.
Snyman had been linked with a move to Johann van Graan’s Bath, while several of South Africa’s URC franchises were also interested. However, RugbyPass understands that Leinster blew them all out of the water with an eye-watering €500,000 (10 million Rand) contract for his services.
Head coach Leo Cullen has remained coy about the signing in interviews, but it is very much been talked about as a done deal.
The touted move has left some scratching their heads, however, not least given Snyman’s appalling injury profile while at Munster. South African publication Netwerk 24 worked out that the 6’9 forward was effectively paid €8,000 a minute after playing just 268 minutes for the club since signing for them in 2020.
Leinster also appear relatively well stocked in the second row with Irish internationals James Ryan, Joe McCarthy and 5.5 Ryan Baird already in situ. In addition, they have one cap Springbok Jason Jenkins on the books, who at 6’8 and 124kg was signed – again from rival province Munster – to provide added ballast to the Leinster pack.
It could equally be argued that the potential signing of the superstar cuts against the grain of the IRFU’s player pathway that has produced so much talent for the national side in recent years, largely by ensuring that Irish-qualified players are exposed to game time in key positions.
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Former Leinster No.8 Jamie Heaslip told RTE yesterday during Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup match with Sale Sharks that: “If it happens, in a way it’s almost comical for it to happen again, particularly with the Jason Jenkins move – previous to that.”
Prior to reports of the signing last week, former British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton flagged the move to RugbyPass, suggesting Leinster needed a player like Snyman to get them over the line.
“You are just going to try and fit into some of the systems that are already in place and just tweak a couple of things… but what I think Leinster need to add is some brute force up front. That is probably what Leinster are missing when it comes to the Champions Cup. Someone like an RG Snyman, who looks like he could be going to Bath, that would be an amazing recruitment for someone like Leinster just to add someone of that ilk into their pack.
“We’ll see. For the Leinster fans’ sake, you don’t want to be detrimental to the development of young players but you feel a couple of bolstering players in that pack would be what they need. Your (Will) Skeltons, your RG Snymans, that kind of player just to stick in your front five to get you over the finish line.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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