Leinster have officially confirmed the signing of South African international RG Snyman. As exclusively revealed by Gerry Thornley in The Irish Times, the two-time World Cup winning secondrow will join Leo Cullen’s squad from Munster next summer. He is currently sidelined with a chest/shoulder injury.
The Irish Times understands that Snyman has signed a one-year contract that contains performance-related financial clauses predicated on the number of matches played.
Snyman confirmed that staying with Munster was not an option. He explained: “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 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.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and to work under Jacques Nienaber again. I want to thank Leinster for making it possible.”
Snyman, who turns 29 in January, scored a try in the Springboks World Cup victory over New Zealand at the Stade de France in October. Last month it was announced that Snyman would be leaving Munster at the end of the season, having previously played with the Bulls in South Africa and Honda Heat in Japan; he will join Leinster in advance of the 2024/25 season.
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.”
Snyman’s time in Munster over the seasons has been decimated by injury, including two ACL knee ligament surgeries, limited him to just 10 appearances. The 6′ 9″, 18 stone lock has won 34 caps for his country as well as winning the Webb Ellis Trophy on two occasions. He was part of the Munster squad that won the URC title against the Stormers in Cape Town last season.
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