RG Snyman has been hailed following his remarkable impact in Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup victory over Bath on Saturday.
The Springboks star came on early in the second period for Ireland’s James Ryan and produced a stunning display, which included a brace of tries.
Snyman was dominant in the carry, changed the point of contact by off-loading regularly and was also impressive in the lineout.
Snyman’s all-round performance
He completely altered the course of the contest after the English outfit had gone into the break 21-19 in front.
Leinster were helped by the red card to Beno Obano with a quarter of the match remaining, but Bath’s South African head honcho Johann van Graan felt that Snyman was the key difference.
“You all know how highly I rate him as a player, someone I signed at Munster and he’s now at Leinster,” Van Graan told reporters. “I thought he was phenomenal.”
Van Graan knows him well having coached him for several years, but it is one thing understanding the strengths he possesses and another to actually stop him.
“The two of us go back a long way from when I started coaching him at school,” Bath’s boss added.
“He’s got this ability to get the ball away. He’s got incredible hands and a natural feeling for the game, not to speak about his size and his hitting and his poaching and his line-out.”
Where Snyman stands
Snyman has generally been used as an impact replacement for the Springboks over the past two years, which has certainly paid dividends given the successive Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023.
Equally, Leinster have put him among the replacements for the big Champions Cup encounters, but he has constantly made a big impression when coming on to the field.
There is no doubt that he is one of finest talents in the sport, but the fact that the 29-year-old does not start for either club or country could count against him in regards to his standing in the world game.
Not for Van Graan, however, who boldly insists that Snyman is among the best around.
“He kind of makes something happen out of nothing. He pulls in three, four, five defenders around him and I thought he was on fire on Saturday.” he added.
“That’s why I believe he’s one of the best players in the world.
“He got injured when I was at Munster in the first seven minutes here [at the Aviva Stadium] and he re-did his ACL against the Scarlets, but I think people around the world are only starting to see how good he really is now.
“Fair play to Leinster for getting him and how good is it from his side that he’s got form?
“He’ll make a big difference for the rest of the season for Leinster. I can’t speak highly enough of him really.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/south-african-boss-makes-bold-claim-about-phenomenal-rg-snyman-who-was-on-fire-in-champions-cup-win
