Siya Kolisi hails Munster's RG Snyman as an inspiration

Siya Kolisi has hailed fit-again RG Snyman as an inspiration and praised Munster for standing by the South Africa lock through his two-year injury ordeal.

Springbok captain Kolisi will face Munster and Snyman in Durban on Saturday when he leads the Sharks against the Irish province in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 clash at Kings Park.

Snyman, 28, has travelled back to his homeland as part of Graham Rowntree’s squad for the knockout tie and is line for the third game of his comeback from the second of two major knee reconstructions that have limited his game time with Munster to just six games since his arrival in the summer of 2020.

Kolisi, who shared a World Cup winners’ podium with Snyman when he lifted the William Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019, has nothing but admiration for his friend’s resilience and also for his club in giving their player all the time he needed to get back from rupturing his ACL a second time, handing the South African a new contract whilst he was still in rehab.

“It’s never nice to see a player go through an injury period, especially a long one like he has,” Kolisi said of Snyman on Wednesday. “For him to stay in the fight, because a lot of people can give up and just not work, but he stayed in it. And it shows as well, how special of a team Munster are as a club, as a union, to stick with him and keep on looking after him.

“That’s the values you want in a club, that’s going to be with you through the toughest of times and him staying there and fighting through it.

“For us it’s an inspiration to keep on going and working hard until he got to that moment and I don’t care who he plays for, it doesn’t matter who he is, as long as a player is like that I really get inspired by that and I’ve been rooting for him.

“Obviously I want him to do well because he’s a very good friend of mine. I really enjoy playing with him and it’s not always nice to play against him and I don’t want him to play too well but I’m glad that he’s on the pitch and is playing.

“I hope that it inspires a lot of guys who get injuries to know that is possible to get them up and with the backing of your club, it’s huge that Munster could back him like that. So I’m really happy for him and the club to have him back… and obviously the country, South Africa, is happy to have him back too.” 

Kolisi and Snyman are expected to be team-mates again at the World Cup in France this autumn when the Springboks will begin their title defence in the same pool as Ireland and the back-rower is expecting veteran fly-half Johnny Sexton, 37, to be leading his country when the two nations collide in Paris in the penultimate group fixture on September 23, despite his season having been ended prematurely by groin surgery following an injury in the Grand Slam-deciding victory over England 11 days ago.

“Obviously he has been amazing this year. He has been really amazing. He is a great leader for the Irish team and for Leinster as well.

“One thing that I like about him is that he just shows age means nothing with the way that he has played this year.

“I love when people defy all the odds, maybe someone didn’t back him and said he was too old, but the way that he is playing at the moment, it makes a huge difference when he is not in that Irish side.

“But I know for a fact that the guys that are playing behind him will take their opportunities. And it’s an opportunity to see (other guys) because you never know what might happen at the World Cup.

“So, it’s a great opportunity for the coaches to look at other players. They will see who has the authority to take that position.

“Maybe they already have a second-choice, but they are looking at the third and fourth-choice going forward.

“It’s unlucky, but hopefully he can get back soon. Obviously they will be very conservative, making sure that he is ready for the World Cup.”