RG Snyman says he never thought his struggles with knee injury would end his career, even if he had to endure several dark days on his return to fitness.
The South African lock is four games into his return from a 17-month lay-off due to a knee injury, having torn his ACL just three games into his comeback from an identical issue which had sidelined him for more than a year.
Appearances off the bench versus the Scarlets and Glasgow Warriors saw him build up game time on his return in March, before he showed Munster fans what they had been waiting for with a dynamic performance in the 26-24 win against the Stormers in Cape Town last month.
Having come through the return to play protocols for concussion, which saw him miss out on the recent 22-22 draw with the Sharks, the 28-year-old is expected to feature from the start on Saturday when Munster aim to keep their season alive in their URC quarter-final against the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun [live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player].
"It's great [to be back]. Obviously, it started off slow getting back in training and things like that. Then, finally getting some good game time, it's honestly just been great," he said.
"It's maybe a bit of an awkward time in the season to join back in with the team but the guys have been great in accommodating me and getting me up to speed pretty quickly."
Having joined the province in the summer of 2020 along with his countryman Damian de Allende, Snyman tore his ACL just seven minutes into his debut when he landed awkwardly at a lineout, before a freak accident at a firepit the following summer saw his comeback delayed, eventually making an emotional return on the opening day of the 2021/22 season, and scoring his first Munster try in the Round 2 win against the Stormers.
Disaster struck in the third game of his comeback against the Scarlets, Snyman limping out of the game just nine minutes after coming off the bench, before the inevitable confirmation that he had re-ruptured his ACL.
Despite signing a contract extension last summer which will keep him at the province until the summer of 2024, multiple delays in his recovery led to fears among Munster fans that they would never get to see him play again.
But Snyman says he never lost faith.
"There were a couple of times where there was a bit of a setback and so forth but it never felt like I wouldn't get back, you know? It was always just a matter of when.
"Obviously, it's difficult being injured for that long but I also learned a lot through the process and, honestly, it's just great to be back on the field.
"I think I'm a positive person in general. Obviously, something like that will get you down at times but I think that the support system I have here and the friends I've made here at Munster, and the support from the guys on the physio team has been unbelievable.
"It's at times like that that you have to fall back on that support system of yours, and they always kept me positive.
"It was really difficult at the start, especially with Covid playing a factor when we first got here. It is difficult being away from family and being so far from home, in a new environment. You obviously want to do the most you can and impress, and do everything you can on the field.
"The guys have really been great, though. They reached out at the start when we first got here, making sure we settled in and got to know everyone around the building and things like that. Being away from home was really difficult but the guys here, the support system here, really stepped up."
In a season of many ups and downs for the province, Snyman's comeback - ironically against the Scarlets - was one of the high points, with the World Cup winner's every movement before, during and after the game cheered on by supporters at Musgrave Park.
"It was a special game, you know?
"I'd been down to a couple of the Cork games while I was injured and it's such an interesting thing because you sort of sit in the same spot; being on the bench that night, you're sort of part of the crowd.
"It was actually also great, every time I went for a warm-up, there was some people behind the posts kept asking me am I six-foot-eight.
"I just left it off and eventually they started asking if I was six-foot-nine, and I left it off again. So, it was like every time I got back there to warm up, it was as if I'd grown an inch or two."
With two starts among the four games of his comeback, his 151 minutes of game time is almost three times as much as he managed in the previous two and a half years.
Having endured two career-threatening injuries back to back, there would have been valid questions around whether those knocks would weigh heavily on his mind as much as on his body.
In his most recent outing against the Stormers however, the lock was instrumental in what proved to be a season-changing victory, with his ability to carry hard and offload in contact giving Munster a constant source of gainline success.
"To be honest, we did a good bit of work through the rehab so that I don't have to think about it [the injury] when I'm out there on the field.
"I'd be lying if I said that, at the start, it wasn't a thing [thinking about the injury], but the block of training I did before sort of got rid of that. So, it's not really something that's on my mind anymore."
Watch the BKT URC quarter-finals, Leinster v Sharks (Saturday, 5pm) and Glasgow Warriors v Munster (Saturday, 7.35pm), on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Follow a live blog of Ulster v Connacht (Friday, 7.35pm) or listen to live commentary on Game On on RTÉ 2fm.
