Munster head coach Johann van Graan says the club won’t take risks on the availability of Springbok lock RG Snyman before he has fully recovered from his knee injury.

Snyman was in the final stages of his rehab after tearing his ACL only minutes into his PRO14 debut last August.

However, the Springbok suffered a setback last week after it was confirmed that he would need to undergo a minor procedure on an unrelated injury to his knee.

Having successfully undergone surgery last week, there is a glimmer of hope that Snyman could feature for his club before the end of the season.

Speaking in a media conference on Tuesday, Van Graan affirmed that Munster will do what is in Snyman’s best interests, adding that he won’t be selected before his knee has completely healed.

‘In terms of him coming back too soon, I think ourselves and the Springboks are very well aligned,’ Van Graan said.

‘We will always put the player first. Look, at the end of the day, RG’s knee is the most important thing. Then we have to make sure on both sides of the fence that he is fit for rugby.

‘To be fair to Jacques [Nienaber, Springbok head coach], the two of us have been in constant communication, not only about RG, but obviously Damian [de Allende] is in the Springboks’ plans as well,’ he added.

‘I am not really concerned. I think open communication, we have got that with the Irish national team and with South Africa as well.’

Snyman was part of the Springboks’ four 2019 World Cup-winning locks, along with Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager. The Springboks could already be without De Jager’s services for the tour, after the Sale Sharks player broke his leg in a freak training session accident.

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