RG Snyman was given a standing ovation when he made his long-awaited return from injury and the fact that the Springbok lock got through his minutes unscathed lifted Munster’s spirits.
Snyman came off the bench to roaring applause from the Munster fans and played the final quarter as the Irish club held on to beat Scarlets in a 49-42 Vodacom United Rugby Championship thriller.
The World Cup winner had spent the past 17 months on the sidelines recovering from the second of the knee ligament injuries he had suffered since joining Munster in 2020.
Snyman’s return came in a backdrop of Munster mourning following the passing of former team manager Brian O’Brien and former scrumhalf Tom Tierney, who coach Graham Rowntree played with at Leicester Tigers.
“It’s everything, he is a world-class player,” said Rowntree after the match. “He’s important, he is a giver, he gives to the group and lads just enjoy having him around and being in his company and learning from him.
“It’s great to have him around, we have a few lads coming back for the Glasgow game as well, coming back from injury.
“We have lost Tadhg (Beirne) for a period of time but we have a few more guys coming back for the Glasgow game but we just had to get it right for this game against Scarlets.
“It’s been a challenging seven days for the club and a big bonus was getting RG back on the field.”
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