Springbok lock RG Snyman says he is making good progress on the ACL injury he suffered while making his debut for Munster in August.

Snyman, who was part of the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup-winning squad, tore his anterior cruciate ligament just seven minutes into his Munster debut by falling awkwardly after poaching a Leinster lineout.

The 25-year-old, who was signed alongside fellow World Cup-winner Damian de Allende as the two big summer moves for Munster, was ruled out for up to nine months and is only likely to return to the field towards the end of the PRO14 season next year.

Speaking on the Munster YouTube channel, Snyman admitted that the injury was a setback for him, but added that he is progressing well with his rehab work.

‘It was a bit of a surprise and a disaster for me, because it’s not the way I wanted to start my career with Munster,’ Snyman said. ‘Especially with only being here for a short time and with Covid, not being able to get to know everyone, I wanted to build up the respect of the team and my teammates. Obviously going off after five or seven minutes is not the perfect way to do that.

‘Saying that, everyone has been very supportive. I must say, everyone has made it a little bit easier. It is a bit difficult, trying to get to know everyone in lockdown especially, if you can’t go and visit anyone. Luckily, around here everyone is friendly and very welcoming.

‘We are making a lot of progress with it. I must say Ray [McGinley, Munster physiotherapist], who is doing the rehab with me, is very good. I have actually started working a bit harder in the gym, for a change. I am not a big fan of the gym, to be honest, so this is a good time for me to improve a bit on my gym work. It’s actually good to be excited to go to the gym for a change.’

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