REACTION: Springbok lock RG Snyman received plenty of praise from his former coach Johann van Graan after Leinster recorded a 47-21 win over Bath in the Champions Cup on Saturday.

Snyman made a huge impact off the bench in the second half, scoring two tries and impressing again with his offloads in the tackle against Van Graan’s side.

“You all know how highly I rate him as a player, someone I signed at Munster and he’s now at Leinster,” said Van Graan.

“I thought he was phenomenal.”

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Van Graan didn’t get the best out of Snyman during his Munster days after the lock suffered an ACL injury on his debut in 2020 before injuring the same ligament again in 2021.

“It meant that Snyman’s time on the field for the Irish side under Van Graan was limited.

“The two of us go back a long way from when I started coaching him at school,” said Van Graan.

“He’s got this ability to get the ball away. He’s got incredible hands and a natural feeling for the game, not to speak about his size and his hitting and his poaching and his line-out.

“But he kind of makes something happen out of nothing. He pulls in three, four, five defenders around him and I thought he was on fire tonight [Saturday].

“That’s why I believe he’s one of the best players in the world.

“He got injured when I was at Munster in the first seven minutes here [at Lansdowne Road] and he re-did his ACL against the Scarlets, but I think people around the world are only starting to see how good he really is now.

“Fair play to Leinster for getting him and how good is it from his side that he’s got form?

“He’ll make a big difference for the rest of the season for Leinster. I can’t speak highly enough of him really.”

Source: @rugby_ie