It is often said that to get to the top professional sportsmen have to go through hell and back, nowhere is that more apparent than with Springbok lock RG Snyman.
The colossus, giant viking with the biggest smile may be the tallest character by a country mile in a tournament of giants, but he has been forged by fire and brimstone, come through the darkest of times to get to a point where he can now smile all through the Rugby World Cup as he helps his side defend their title.
It wasn’t long ago that Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus started looking at other options - it had been basically four years since Snyman’s unbelievable bench exploits in Japan and the man wasn’t getting game time.
Worse than that, he seemed cursed with injuries, setbacks and a string of bad luck that would have caused most players to throw in the towel.
But the giant lock just keeps on trucking along, and is relishing his chance to play a massive part in the Springboks' campaign this season.
BEEN THROUGH HELL
It was his Munster and Springbok teammate Jean Kleyn who first picked it up and spoke about the resilience within Snyman and the fire that kept on driving him forward despite all the setbacks.
Kleyn watched as Snyman went through two horrific knee injuries, setbacks on the recovery field and a firepit injury that saw him need a skin graft and miss out on the British and Irish Lions series.
There were personal tragedies as well that hit Snyman, who lost his mother during Covid and so many months of not knowing when he would get back onto the field again.
“I actually can’t commend the man more,” Kleyn told the Munster media contingent when Snyman was making his final comeback in this year’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
“He’s had two years from hell in terms of not just his injuries, but family bereavements, being away from home as well during all of this. I think it speaks volumes of his character that he’s still coming in every day, big smile on his face, always involved.
“He has been sitting in on meetings for the last two years and still trying to add even though he knows he’s six or eight months out – obviously that’s six to eight months ago. There’s not a single fella that’s not excited to have him as part of the team and back in training, back on the pitch. He’s a fella that slotted in incredibly well from the start, he’s an incredibly likable guy. His resilience is insane.
“I’ve never met a fella who has gone through more and maintained a more positive mindset. It’s astonishing. I’d say if I was in the same position, I would just have thrown the towel in.
“Nothing seems to be able to keep him down for too long. He’s a phenomenal guy. We’re all very much looking forward to seeing him on the pitch again. He was involved during the warm-up and a bit of skills today and you can just see that the man is just an athlete.
“He’s a 6'10, 135kg athlete, which is scary. So we’re all looking forward to seeing him involved again. He’s going to be a massive benefit to the team.”
RETURNING TO ACTION
It wasn’t surprising that Snyman, despite being 28 years old and with 29 test caps to his name, was keen to get back and why he was like a kid at Christmas when he played a full 80 minutes for the Boks in Cardiff against Wales.
“It was the first 80 minutes since 2019 since I got injured. The last game I played 80 (for the Boks) was the previous World Cup against Canada. It was a special milestone, a good game for me to get through and a great game to be part of as well,” Snyman smiled.
It marked the end of a long journey back to fitness. A journey which has taken so many dark turns that there can only be sunlight ahead.
Snyman was thankful, and knows every moment should be cherished.
“It was a tough journey, to be honest. It wasn’t easy. Through all of it, I’ve learnt a lot and I must give credit to Munster for how they’ve looked after me and how they continue to look after me. I think in this line of work it would be easy for a lot of people to give up on you when you’ve been out for that long. They stuck with me, and I’ve got to give them credit for that, not only for playing, but for also getting me fit again for the Springboks.”
DESPERATION NOW AN ASSET
“The biggest thing I’ve learnt. You always think you are desperate to play and to wear that jersey, but it is only when it is taken away from you, when you can’t do it, that you really realise how special it is and how much you want it.
“The word desperation for me has gone to a new level. It’s honestly so good to be back. When I look at this, I also see all I’ve learnt. Even though I couldn’t play rugby for a long time, I grew in other ways.
“I studied the game from a different perspective.”
Different perspectives brought new learnings, and new learnings begat excitement for Snyman. The man is back and is now living his dream.
And part of that means new horizons. Not just on the rugby field, but also in terms of how he approaches the game.
He has even changed his go-to music heading into the stadium. While most players will sit with their earphones blaring Snyman has found his niche in something totally different - Mongolian throat-singing.
“Usually I like to listen to something a bit on the rougher side. I've always liked Metallica and things like that. More recently I got into Mongolian throat singing,” he laughs.
The group is called “The Hu”- a rag tag bunch of Mongolian singers who have become quite the niche for heavier music addicts across the world - and have recorded with Serg Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down.
MONGOLIAN THROAT SINGING INSPIRATION
The lyrics of their hit Wolf Totem can be seen to fit Snyman perfectly, as they sing of battles and raging against the fires of hell.
If ever there was an anthem for a fightback, this is it.
Consider these lyrics and think of Snyman and his battles, and the Bok forwards in toe.
If the lions want war
We gon’ fight until the battle ends
If the tigers come running
We gon’ fight them to the bloody end
When the elephants come
They gon’ bow to my brethren
Lock ’em in a cage
Parade them to the lion’s den
I breathe fire like a dragon killing demons
Am I go hard? Yeah, we gonna seize the day
Hellfire, rain it down upon my people
If ya gonna bring the evil, we could bury it today
We’ve all been lost, we’ve all been called
Everyone rise to a brethren code
We got your back, we all been low
Let’s all rise to the brethren code
Snyman smiles when eyebrows are raised about his music.
“It’s not in everyone’s taste,” he chuckles.
But after the years of hell he has been through, few will stand in his way.
His eyes are now focused, his music pumping through his veins.
And for the Springbok cause there can’t be a better outcome.
Snyman has climbed out of his own hell and is now enjoying the sunshine.