Munster will arrive in Durban with their own World Cup-winning lock for the Champions Cup playoff against an Eben Etzebeth-powered Sharks on Saturday.
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The Irish outfit confirmed on Tuesday that RG Snyman travelled with the squad to Durban for the last-16 clash against the Sharks.
Snyman made his long-awaited return to roaring applause from the Munster fans in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with Scarlets earlier in March.
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.
Munster head coach Graham Rowntree hinted that Snyman was in contention to start this weekend, which could put the second rower on a collision course with fellow 2019 Springbok squad teammate Etzebeth.
“RG is getting better,” Rowntree told the Irish Independent.
“The way our game has changed since he last played for us (Munster are playing a lot quicker) means he has had to get up to speed. He is obviously also coming back from injury, and he’s a huge man.
“That engine of his needs a bit of fine-tuning, but he’s getting there. From what I’ve seen in our training data and what I’m seeing with my eyes, he’s certainly getting fitter and fitter.
“He’ll able to give us a bit of an insight into the Sharks’ psyche.”
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The last time Etzebeth and Snyman shared the field was in the 2019 World Cup final and they were last on opposition teams when they played for the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls respectively.
Munster go into the playoff on the back of a surprise home loss to Glasgow Warriors in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
Rowntree compared the Sharks to French giants Toulouse, who Munster faced twice in the pool stages, both times losing by a narrow margin.
“They can play, crikey,” Rowntree said. “They’ve some pace on the edges, a monster pack, very similar to playing against Toulouse I’d say. They’re big, heavy and quick.
“That was a real challenge, that was like a Test match that game away in Toulouse. Could’ve, should’ve won it.
“So, it’s going to need a similar performance or a better performance this week. That’s what we are aiming for.”
Along with Snyman, Munster have also recalled Ireland internationals Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray.
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