VIDEO: RG Snyman’s milestone he once thought impossible

DUBLIN, IRELAND: He never even gave it a thought that he might celebrate his 50th Test cap in a Springbok jersey after years of missing out, and to do it in Ireland against a host of his Leinster teammates would be very special for lock RG Snyman.

When he runs out at the Aviva Stadium against Ireland on Saturday in his 50th Test, it will be the culmination of hard work, determination, and getting back to being a settled figure in the Springbok side.

His journey to this point didn’t come easy, and at one stage, he felt like he wouldn’t pull on that Green and Gold jersey again.

The time between 2019 and 2024 was marred with long-term injuries, rehab setbacks, and the ‘fire-pit accident’ that left both him and teammate Damien de Allende with serious burns in 2021.

That makes winning the 2019 and 2023 World Cups so much more special, but even then, he didn’t think he would also be able to celebrate milestones like so many of his fellow Springboks are doing now.

“This milestone is special because I’ve missed a lot of years at the Springboks, so achieving a milestone like that is something I didn’t think would be possible.

“It’s an honour, but it’s not about the individual, it’s about us as a team and how we perform.

“When the opportunity comes, I will do my best,” he told Rugby365, and added that Ireland has been a big part of his career.

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“Obviously, I have many friends here who I have played with over the years.

“Playing at Aviva would be really special. Playing against some of my teammates, there is always a bit extra going into that because it’s people you know.

“So you want to earn their respect. You will always go a little bit harder.”

Snyman reflected on the tough win over France a fortnight ago when one of his best friends, Lood de Jager, had to do the walk of shame after receiving a permanent red card in the 39th minute of that clash.

How does the team always seem to stay resilient and conquer games that would otherwise have been deemed impossible to do?

“It’s definitely about guys not being selfish and having that South African mindset of keep on making plans and adapting to the situation that you are in to get out on the other side,” he explained.

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“When Lood came off with the red card, he didn’t come and sit down with his head down. He came off and he sat with me and Ruan and continuing to make plans and helping us to figure out line-out-wise.

“I think it says a lot about the characters of the individuals as well as the team,” he stated.

Asked how the team seems to manage to conquer tough encounters despite going through expreme adversity and finishing teams off with 14 players as if it is the most natural thing to do, Snyman had this to say: “It’s the balance between keeping the focus on the specific week we are in and not looking too far ahead or living in the past for too long.

“It’s a quick review and then getting into the week ahead and only focusing on that.”

And that brought him to his next point, the mood in the camp after beating the Six Nations champions, therby reaffirming the Springboks’ status as the No.1 team in the world.

“There haven’t been a lot of times that the team wasn’t in a great mood, but that [win over France] gave us confidence for the rest of the tour.

“That was a special win for us, and there are some takeaways, both positive and negative, from that.”

The Springboks are a special team and do things very differently from other traveling teams. One of those is the players having their families with them on tour at all times, staying with them in the same hotels.

One just has to sit close to their hotel at a coffee shop or in their hotel lobby for a little while before the players and their wives, often in groups together, will go out to have a quick lunch or a stroll around the city.

“I think it is quite special that we get to have our families with us on tour, so even if you are in a hotel, it kind of feels a little bit like home while you are in the team environment.

“So you do get a little break from constantly being in a rugby environment, so those coffees with our families are special.”