World Cup-winning Springbok lock RG Snyman looks to be on track to make his return for Munster in the new year, the Irish club has announced. Photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images

UPDATE: One injury boost, one injury blow for Boks

There is contrasting news on the injury front for RG Snyman and Handre Pollard ahead of the Boks’ end-of-year tour.

by Craig Lewis

29-09-2022 16:40

in Springboks

World Cup-winning Springbok lock RG Snyman looks to be on track to make his return for Munster in the new year, the Irish club has announced. Photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images

It was recently confirmed that the Boks’ World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman will still be unavailable for the first few rounds of the new URC season, but it now appears that his absence could extend towards the end of the year.

Snyman arrived in Ireland in May 2020 to join Munster following the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019–20 Japan Top League due to Covid-19. The Bok lock then made his debut for Munster in their 27–25 defeat against Leinster on 22 August 2020, though his first appearance for the province lasted only seven minutes after he suffered a torn ACL during a lineout.

BIG READ: THE FULL RASSIE TIMELINE AS BAN ENDS TOMORROW

It was the start of plenty of challenging times to come for Snyman, who has been beset with injuries throughout his first stint with Munster, while he was also dramatically involved in a firepit accident last year, with the towering second rower suffering severe burns.

Towards the end of last year, powerful lock underwent knee surgery after re-rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, with Snyman having managed just four appearances in two years for Munster, while he has largely been unavailable to the Springboks.

In what seemed to be some encouraging news on the injury front, though, Munster recently confirmed there are positive signs in terms of his recovery. Yet, the latest update is not so positive, and it appears highly unlikely that Snyman will be available for the Boks or his club any time soon.

“He’s not quite there yet,” Munster head coach Graham Rowntree commented. “He’s had a very difficult year and we’re not pushing him. All I can say at this point, for the foreseeable, he’s not quite ready yet.”

Meanwhile, there is at least more positive news elsewhere for the Boks.

In the middle of the Rugby Championship, it was confirmed that Pollard had picked up a knee injury and although it was initially thought that he may be out of action for six weeks, subsequent reports indicated it could be longer than that.

Bok coach Jacques Nienaber recently suggested it was unlikely that Pollard would be available for the Boks’ upcoming end-of-year tour, but there has been a positive update after the flyhalf underwent further assessments at English club, the Leicester Tigers.

READ | WHO IS IN CHARGE OF BOKS’ ATTACK? RASSIE ANSWERS EX-PLAYER

It’s reported that Pollard was already a travelling reserve for Saturday’s victory over Northampton Saints.

“The body is good,” he said. “I am really coming along nicely. [I’m] Just trying to get as much done as possible. I’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick, from the initial diagnosis we had in Australia, I’ve come back to London and got a different one, which was a lot more positive. I’m working hard, it’s really feeling good, so we will see how we go on from here.”

It’s already been confirmed that Pollard did not suffer a recurrence of an ACL rupture that he suffered during his time playing in France.

“This is completely different,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a tear in the meniscus. It’s a lot better than we originally thought and it’s going really well. We’re still taking it day by day. We’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick but I am very excited and optimistic. I should be good to go for the Autumn series.”

Pollard’s experience was missed by the Boks

After Pollard was injured, Damian Willemse shifted to flyhalf before suffering a concussion that left the Boks in a position where they had little option but to turn to Frans Steyn, who last Saturday started his first Test at 10 since 2008.

The Springboks currently find themselves in third place in the latest World Rugby rankings following the conclusion of the 2022 Rugby Championship.

Tournament winners, the All Blacks, are in fourth.

Ireland continue to lead the way ahead of France, while Australia have plummeted to a lowly ninth place, below Argentina who finished bottom of the Rugby Championship log.

ALSO READ | HOW MANY RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES HAVE THE ALL BLACKS WON?