So, it has emerged by chance or by design and that Leinster is the supposed destination of double World Cup winning Lock RG Snyman, initial reports a few weeks back linked the lock with a move to Bath to link up with Johan Van Graan but now the focus has shifted to the east with Leinster apparently in the market for reinforcements in the second row.
Jason Jenkins is apparently off for a new challenge at the end of the current year. Of course this is still only speculation and we have been here before with Keith Earls supposedly off to join Saracens back in 2018 only for him to sign fresh terms with the IRFU. If it does come to pass that Snyman makes the move to Leinster. It will continue the trend of players switching sides.
The likes of Trevor Hogan, Paul Wallace, Brian O Meara, Stephen Keogh and more recently Joey Carbery have made the move from Munster to Leinster or vice versa. Rugby is a short career and given the rotten luck that Snyman has had with injury in his time with Munster suffering two ACL injuries in his 4 years with Munster.
The likelihood of Munster keeping Snyman after the end of the current season was slim anyway and when the choice of Kleyn or Snyman was made it was Jean Kleyn signing on until summer 2025. The likely destinations at that point would have been a SA URC team or Bath in The Premiership, even another term in the Pro League in Japan where he spent a few years prior to the 2019 World Cup.
As I say, it is only speculation but one does feel once it makes its way into the public domain, only time is the main sticking point of making any announcements either way. That process may have to be sped up for the sake of the player and clubs involved.
Rugby as we know is only a short career and only a small few make it to their late 30s in the modern game like Jimmy Gopperth and Jonathan Sexton, they are exceptions certainly not the norm.
More power to Snyman and his representatives for working away on a deal to bring him to his new destination wherever that may be, be that the Rec with Bath, The RDS with Leinster or elsewhere….