Springboks and Sharks captain Siya Kolisi hailed RG Snyman for battling back from his injury struggles and Munster for sticking by the lock.
Speaking ahead of the crunch Champions Cup round-of-16 tie between the Sharks and Munster, Kolisi shared his admiration for the player and province.
“The values you want in a club”
Snyman’s time at Munster has been severally impacted by two major knee reconstructions since 2020, and he has not played for the Springboks since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
“It’s never nice to see a player go through an injury period, especially a long one like he has,” Kolisi told reporters on Wednesday.
“For him to stay in the fight because a lot of people can give up and just not work, but he stayed in it.
“It shows as well how special of a team Munster are as a club, as a union, to stick with him and keep on looking after him.
“That’s the values you want in a club, that’s going to be with you through the toughest of times and him staying there and fighting through it.
“For us, it’s an inspiration to keep on going and working hard until he got to that moment, and I don’t care who he plays for, it doesn’t matter who he is, as long as a player is like that, I really get inspired by that, and I’ve been rooting for him,” Kolisi added.
🤗 Welcome back, RG Snyman.
🦌 The Springbok makes his first appearance for Munster since October 2021. #URC pic.twitter.com/rBO0x267jA
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 3, 2023
Playing against RG Snyman
While Snyman has made just six matches for Munster since joining the side, he and Kolisi have clashed several times before in Super Rugby.
The second-rower played for the Bulls between 2015 and 2019, while Kolisi was playing for the Stormers.
Kolisi admits that playing against the abrasive lock is not a pleasant experience but adds that he is happy to see him back out on the pitch.
“Obviously, I want him to do well because he’s a very good friend of mine,” the Bok captain said.
“I really enjoy playing with him, and it’s not always nice to play against him, and I don’t want him to play too well, but I’m glad that he’s on the pitch and is playing.
“I hope that it inspires a lot of guys who get injuries to know that it is possible to get them up, and with the backing of your club, it’s huge that Munster could back him like that.
“So I’m really happy for him and the club to have him back… and obviously the country, South Africa, is happy to have him back too.”
Bok captain lauds Sexton
Kolisi also had kind words for Ireland captain Johnny Sexton after his successful Six Nations campaign culminating in Grand Slam.
With Sexton continuing to be a key player for the national side at the age of 37, Kolisi says he loves that the veteran continues to defy the odds.
“Obviously, he has been amazing this year. He has been really amazing. He is a great leader for the Irish team and for Leinster as well,” Kolisi said.
“One thing that I like about him is that he just shows age means nothing with the way that he has played this year.
“I love when people defy all the odds, maybe someone didn’t back him and said he was too old, but the way that he is playing at the moment, it makes a huge difference when he is not in that Irish side.”
The Sharks host Munster in the round-of-16 clash at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.
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