RG Snyman is enjoying life as a Leinster player.
It's only been three games, but the South African already has two tries in blue, and a player of the match award to go along with it in his most recent outing, Saturday’s 33-12 win away to Connacht.
His try on Saturday was probably the most understated part of his performance across his 65 minutes on the pitch, as he reacted fastest to a loose ball to casually walk over the try-line and score, which helped push his team out to a 21-5 lead just before half time.
The celebration was arguably more impressive than the try, as he needed to use his foot to scrape the ball back out of his hands, such was the level of grip he had on it.
"I couldn't really get the ball out of my hand. I was just trying to get rid of it, I'm very aware of the shot clock," he laughed.
RG Snyman with the elite snatch 👊💥#BKTURC #URC | #CONvLEI pic.twitter.com/Qgoc2dOeYa
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 19, 2024
The double World Cup-winner wreaked havoc at the Dexcom Stadium, using his 6ft 9in frame and 117kg weight to put Leinster on the front foot in attack. The subtlety in the Springbok’s game makes him a nightmare to defend. His size and physicality warrant two tacklers to commit, but his ability to free his hands and offload the ball in contact makes him a constant threat.
According to the URC’s stats, Snyman threw eight offloads on Saturday evening, which before this week would have been the highest in the league across four games.
"Yes, having a lot of fun," he said after his side’s latest bonus-point win.
"It’s something we spoke about through the week, it's obviously a tough place to come and play but the main thing is to have a bit of fun out there as well."
Given his injury history, it’s hard to begrudge him that enjoyment. His four years at Munster were mired by injury; two ACL tears, a serious burn in a domestic accident, before surgery on a shoulder/chest issue in his final season. In total, he played just 20 games in four seasons.
The province weren’t in a position to keep Snyman for a fifth season, which is how he ended up moving up the M7 from Limerick to Dublin.
With he and his wife well-settled in Ireland they wanted to stay, and when Leinster came in with a contract offer, it was an instant agreement.
"It was obviously a bit of a difficult time because we really wanted to stay so when the offer from Leinster came through, it was a nice blessing for us. We really appreciated the offer when it came through.
"For a foreign player, playing for Leinster doesn't happen that often so it's something special and definitely something that I cherish because I know not many guys that's not from here get that opportunity.
"It [Dublin] is obviously a lot bigger than Limerick so there's a little bit more to do. That's probably the main thing. We obviously enjoyed our time in Limerick as well but the boys have been very welcoming and we're settling in very well.
"I think the environment here is quite unique in the sense that there's so many international players at one club, so the standard would naturally be a lot higher, but it's good to be in such an environment the whole time. Every week, I think it just brings the best out in everyone.
"I think you get to know a different side of somebody when you play against them. It's a lot more tough and you only see one side of people. So coming into the Leinster set-up and getting to know the guys a bit more, becoming friends with them, and I guess it's the same for them to see me in a different light as well. We get along very well."
As luck would have it, Snyman didn't have to wait long to come up against his former team. After making his debut in the Round 3 win away to Benetton, the 29-year-old's first home game as a Leinster player came in last week’s win against Munster in front of more than 80,000 people at Croke Park.
While Munster supporters were angry at the second row’s move to their biggest rivals, most of that frustration appeared to be directed at the IRFU rather than the player himself, and even after his transfer had been confirmed, Snyman was clearly held in high regard at Thomond Park.
Last week, there were some noticeable boos in the crowd at Croke Park when his name was called out in the pre-game announcements, as well as when he was replaced by Ryan Baird in the second half.
"I guess it was where you were seated. Where I walked off, to be honest with you, I experienced the cheer because I looked up and it was mostly Leinster fans sitting on that side of the stadium. It was all positive.
"It was only afterwards that some of the guys who were on the other side of the pitch came to me and said, 'Are you OK? We're with you,' but to be honest, I very much enjoyed all the reactions from the crowd and how they got involved.
"I think the guys understand it very well, the players. The way the fans and people on the outside will react is another thing, but you have to embrace that all the same. Obviously, if you do certain things, you expect certain outcomes but it's embracing it. That's the thing," he added.
And after missing out on so much rugby in the last four years, the South Africa international is just happy to be out there enjoying himself.
"It's good to be back on the field and everything's going well at this stage for us. We're playing well, I'm settling into the group a bit more and it's good to get ball in hand and just go and live out every little bit of talent I have out there, you know?"
