EVEN WHEN REPORTS of RG Snyman’s shock move to Leinster first surfaced last week, few would have expected the deal to be signed, sealed and delivered before Christmas.
Yet earlier today Leinster released a statement confirming they had won the race to sign the lock, news which will sit uncomfortably with many of a Munster persuasion over the Christmas period.
We’ve previously commented on how Munster’s URC semi-final defeat of Leinster last season had put some spark back into a rivalry which had grown stale over the years. Snyman’s impending move will add an extra edge to things as the provinces prepare to go head-to-head at Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day, and provide another layer of intrigue anytime he’s involved in those derby games as a Leinster player.
Many Munster fans will accept the move, but others will direct their ire in various directions. Some might feel Munster should have done more to keep Snyman in Limerick. Some will be disappointed to see the player accept a move to their biggest rivals. More will feel the IRFU have let them down.
Let’s start with Munster. When choosing between keeping one of Snyman or Jean Kleyn on their books, the latter certainly appeared the more sensible option. While Snyman has been devastated by injury during his time with the club, Kleyn has been a near ever-present and established himself as a key player for Graham Rowntree. Even with his new-found status as a World Cup winner, Kleyn commands a lower salary than Snyman and has a track record of offering Munster much more bang for their buck.
If Munster had found a way of keeping Snyman but offloading Kleyn, you’d currently be reading opinion pieces about Munster’s big gamble and how badly the province had treated a player who had served them so well. On paper and on the pitch, Kleyn made more sense.
Since joining in 2020, Snyman has played only 10 games for Munster. To an extent, those supporters angry to see him join Munster are lamenting what they never really had. They were given a tantalising taste of Snyman’s qualities when he returned for the tail end of their URC-winning run last season but his true class was more evident during South Africa’s charge to back-to-back World Cup titles in France. That is the version of Snyman Leinster have paid out for.
Munster will rightly feel they never got value for their investment, and that will be all the more frustrating should Snyman manage to feature regularly for Leinster.
The player himself was left in a tricky situation. Snyman and his wife are settled and enjoy life in Ireland, so when Leinster were able to table the money for his signature they found themselves in pole position to land the two-time World Cup winner.
He will have known a move to Leinster would upset certain sections of the Munster support but it proved too attractive an opportunity to turn down. Leinster compete for trophies every season and the chance to work closely with Jacques Nienaber will have been a major draw.
This is where the flaws in the IRFU’s central contract system are exposed. For the most part, the central contract system is the envy of Unions around the world as it allows the IRFU keep their best players at home while controlling their workloads throughout the season.
Yet when one province becomes so dominant, issues will inevitably arise. The vast majority of the IRFU’s central deals are with Leinster players – Caelan Doris becoming the eighth when he penned his first central contract earlier this week. This allows Leinster direct money elsewhere, while Munster, Connacht and Ulster have nearly their entire playing squads on their payroll. Leinster will view that as a product of the good work they’ve done over the years. It can also be viewed as an unbalanced system which favours the province based in the most populous area and supported by the strongest schools system. The truth probably lies somewhere between the two.
As the major suppliers to the Ireland senior squad, Leinster will feel entitled to strengthen their playing group wherever they feel necessary but the Snyman move represents a change in direction. In recent seasons their non-Irish qualified (NIQ) players have been there to create better squad depth. Michael Ala’alatoa, Charlie Ngatai and Jason Jenkins have all been good signings but have never threatened to take the position of Leinster’s Ireland internationals.
In Snyman, they’ve brought in a player who would walk into most starting teams. The 6’9”, 18 stone lock can be a game-changing presence in their squad and if Snyman is there to make a difference on the biggest days in the URC and Champions Cup, presumably it will come in a starting role alongside Leinster co-captain James Ryan.
That would mean more time on the bench for the promising 22-year-old Joe McCarthy, who has already been capped five times by Ireland. Leinster could also see Snyman’s best role as that he held under Nienaber’s watch at the World Cup, where he provided explosive impact coming off the bench against Ireland, France, England and New Zealand.
Either way, it certainly wouldn’t look to spell good news for Ross Molony, who started both the 2022 and 2023 Champions Cup final defeats to La Rochelle. Jason Jenkins – who will leave at the end of the season – came off the bench in last year’s final. Ryan Baird has also pushed for a place in the second row but an impressive run at six for the province this season suggests the back row may be his long-term home.
Snyman’s arrival could also have a trickle-down effect. If the likes of McCarthy and Molony find themselves playing more minutes in the URC, it could impact the development of rising talents like Brian Deeney and Conor O Tighearnaigh. Again, Leinster might argue everyone benefits and learns from having a two-time World Cup winner around.
The most obvious risk is that Leinster have signed the player Munster fans will remember from his time at Thomond Park. Should his injury struggles continue over the next few years, his signature will be viewed as an expensive gamble when the money could have been better used elsewhere.
Time will tell, but the bottom line is that if Snyman plays his part in helping Leinster land a Champions Cup title, the move will be seen as a success. It could prove one of the most shrewd decisions the province have ever made.