IN THE RUGBY world, there’s nearly always a Munster connection, no matter where you find yourself. Whether it’s a jersey or a hat in the crowd at a game or someone who used to work with the province directly influencing it, the Munster network is far-reaching.
Last night, there was cause for pride in Munster as South Africa won the World Cup.
Current Munster second row pair RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn came off the bench to help the Springboks edge out the All Blacks in Paris. Both of those men have had noteworthy journeys to reach this point.
Snyman had some dark times in the years since helping the Boks to their 2019 World Cup success. He arrived in Munster in 2020 and ruptured his ACL just minutes into his debut.
A year later, as he was nearing his return, he suffered burns in a bizarre firepit accident. Snyman ended up needing skin grafts.
He did get back onto the pitch in 2021 but the comeback lasted only three games before Snyman suffered a re-rupture of his cruciate ligament, which kept him sidelined for nearly a year and a half.
The towering lock also had to deal with heartbreak away from rugby in 2021 as his mother, Annelie, passed away suddenly.
Munster gave Snyman all the support he needed as he went through that nightmarish time, giving him a two-year contract extension despite having only made four appearances for the province due to his horrific injury luck.
And he happily made it back in March of this year, helping the province to their URC title and putting himself back into the Boks mix, only a few months after Rassie Erasmus had publicly worried that Snyman might not make the World Cup.
Snyman has been an important figure again in this tournament, making a big impact as part of the Bomb Squad off the bench. It’s exciting for Munster to be able to welcome a two-time World Cup winner back this season.
This was Kleyn’s second World Cup, although the first was with Ireland in 2019. Only a couple of months ago, Rassie Erasmus handed him the opportunity of a new adventure with his native land and now Kleyn is a World Cup winner.
An affable person, Kleyn has really made Limerick his home since joining Munster in 2016. He is hugely popular among the province’s fans, many of whom wonder how he couldn’t get back into the Ireland mix before Erasmus swooped.
Of course, Erasmus himself is a former Munster boss. He made a major impact on the southern province when he came on board in 2016. Munster had been sailing in rough waters and Erasmus helped to turn the ship around.
He handled the death of Anthony Foley with poise, showing the human side that his Springboks players appreciate so much. Erasmus’ departure from Munster left a sour taste in the mouth for many supporters, but they understand how great a coach he is.
Jacques Nienaber had an immense impact on the Munster players during his time there as Erasmus’ defence coach. Nienaber changed how many of the squad understood defending, impressing them with his deep tactical and technical knowledge. His work ethic was also inspirational.
Of course, Nienaber is now returning to Irish rugby as Leinster’s senior coach and it will be fascinating to see how he influences the province.
Erasmus and Nienaber worked with Felix Jones during that spell in Munster and when they returned to take on the Springboks job in 2017, they wanted him on board too. It took until 2019 for the reunion to happen but Jones signed up ahead of that year’s World Cup and the rest is history.
Still just 36, former Munster fullback Jones now has two World Cup winner’s medals and has already signed a deal with the RFU to become an assistant coach to Steve Borthwick with England. It will mean shorter commutes from his family home in Dublin and Jones is sure to add serious nous to the English set-up.
The ex-Munster connection in the Springboks’ starting team was centre Damian de Allende, who was with the province from 2020 until 2022 before returning to Japanese club rugby. He was an important figure in this victory, as was 37-year-old Duane Vermeulen who rolled back the years after spending two seasons with Ulster.
There was another Munster man in the Springboks camp for this World Cup, with analyst Paddy Sullivan having joined them to bolster their backroom staff.
Kerry man Sullivan played in the AIL before moving into analysis, working with Munster from 2013 to 2015 before moving to France to join Top 14 side Pau, who had lots of other Irish connections including James Coughlan.
Sullivan ended up in an expanded role at Pau that involved coaching their academy players alongside his analysis work, then he moved to Montpellier in 2021 as a senior performance analyst. Sullivan was part of their Top 14 title success in 2022.
With the Boks keen to add additional analysis expertise for this tournament in France, Sullivan was an ideal choice and he now has a World Cup winner’s medal too.
