RG Snyman’s blunt admission on Springboks future after latest injury blow and reveals what he’s focusing on during recovery process
Springboks and Leinster second-row RG Snyman.
RG Snyman has revealed that he is not looking too far into the future after his latest serious injury setback which is set to keep him on the sidelines for a lengthy period.
The double Rugby World Cup-winning South African second-row did not feature at international level from 2020 to 2022 and only made his Springboks return in the build-up to the global event in France in 2023.
This, after suffering back-to-back ACL tears to his left knee during that period while he was still plying his trade with Leinster’s arch-rivals Munster.
The 31-year-old sustained the same injury, this time on his right knee, during Leinster‘s United Rugby Championship round 13 defeat to Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium in March.
Unlikely to play for the Springboks in 2026
Shortly afterwards, Leinster confirmed that his club season is over and considering that an ACL injury usually takes six to nine months to recover from, it’s highly unlikely that he will be involved for the Springboks in 2026.
And Snyman confirmed that news during an interview with the GameTime podcast alongside former Springboks team-mate Steven Kitshoff and the show’s host Joshua Eady.
“I think it’s a bit early for that question, to be honest, because there’s a whole season that lies ahead,” he said when asked by Eady how he is feeling in the build-up to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
“And obviously a lot of prep work. And I know the guys’ minds and heads would be ‘next job, next job’ mentality and focus on the now.”
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He admitted that being sidelined for South Africa’s entire 2026 international campaign is a huge disappointment but revealed that he is just focusing on supporting the team.
‘Trying to do whatever I can to still support the guys’
“Obviously for me this season is just focusing on getting back on the field and getting back to playing and trying to do whatever I can to still support the guys or still support the team in any way possible,” said Snyman.
“But obviously (it’s) a bit of a sh*t one to miss out.”
The 50-Test international admitted that being on the sidelines due to injury is tough but revealed that his previous setbacks make his recovery somewhat easier.
“It is obviously difficult, but luckily, well, luckily, I have been through similar stuff,” he explained.
“So it’s a familiar road for me, which is a little bit sh*t to say, but at least I know what to expect and what to do to get back on the field and get the most out of it.”