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Leinster table €500k for Springbok second row RG Snyman
By Ian Cameron
Leinster have tabled a whopping €500,000 a season for the services of Springboks second row RG Snyman, who is expected to sign for the Irish province.
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While it is yet to be confirmed, reports in Ireland over the last week have suggested that Snyman will sign for the URC heavyweights, with new senior coach Jacques Nienaber using his influence to land the Rugby World Cup from Irish rivals Munster.
Snyman had been linked with a move to Johann van Graan’s Bath, while several of South Africa’s URC franchises were also interested. However, RugbyPass understands that Leinster blew them all out of the water with an eye-watering €500,000 (10 million Rand) contract for his services.
Head coach Leo Cullen has remained coy about the signing in interviews, but it is very much been talked about as a done deal.
The touted move has left some scratching their heads, however, not least given Snyman’s appalling injury profile while at Munster. South African publication Netwerk 24 worked out that the 6’9 forward was effectively paid €8,000 a minute after playing just 268 minutes for the club since signing for them in 2020.
Leinster also appear relatively well stocked in the second row with Irish internationals James Ryan, Joe McCarthy and 5.5 Ryan Baird already in situ. In addition, they have one cap Springbok Jason Jenkins on the books, who at 6’8 and 124kg was signed – again from rival province Munster – to provide added ballast to the Leinster pack.
It could equally be argued that the potential signing of the superstar cuts against the grain of the IRFU’s player pathway that has produced so much talent for the national side in recent years, largely by ensuring that Irish-qualified players are exposed to game time in key positions.
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Former Leinster No.8 Jamie Heaslip told RTE yesterday during Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup match with Sale Sharks that: “If it happens, in a way it’s almost comical for it to happen again, particularly with the Jason Jenkins move – previous to that.”
Prior to reports of the signing last week, former British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton flagged the move to RugbyPass, suggesting Leinster needed a player like Snyman to get them over the line.
“You are just going to try and fit into some of the systems that are already in place and just tweak a couple of things… but what I think Leinster need to add is some brute force up front. That is probably what Leinster are missing when it comes to the Champions Cup. Someone like an RG Snyman, who looks like he could be going to Bath, that would be an amazing recruitment for someone like Leinster just to add someone of that ilk into their pack.
“We’ll see. For the Leinster fans’ sake, you don’t want to be detrimental to the development of young players but you feel a couple of bolstering players in that pack would be what they need. Your (Will) Skeltons, your RG Snymans, that kind of player just to stick in your front five to get you over the finish line.”
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