Munster dealt blow as RG Snyman set for surgery in South Africa this week

The BKT URC champions say Snyman sustained a chest/shoulder injury during South Africa’s final victory over the All Blacks.

EXIT SNYMAN: South Africa's RG Snyman celebrates after winning the Rugby World Cup where he suffered an injury. Photo credit: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

Munster may have to wait for the return of World Cup winner RG Snyman after revealing the Springbok lock will go for surgery in his native South Africa this week.

Head coach Graham Rowntree said on Saturday following Munster’s 45-14 victory over the Dragons in Cork that Snyman and fellow Springbok second row Jean Kleyn were due to report back to the province on November 20 at the conclusion of their post-World Cup break.

Two days later on Monday, the BKT URC champions said Snyman had sustained a chest/shoulder injury during South Africa’s final victory over the All Blacks, and would need a surgical procedure. No time frame was given on Snyman’s expected recovery period or a return to action.

Munster’s Irish international contingent have reported back en masse to the High Performance Centre at the University of Limerick. Half-back duo Craig Casey and Jack Crowley returned to duty at Musgrave Park last Saturday having received dispensation from the IRFU due to injury concerns in their respective positions.

Scrum-half Casey started against the Dragons and scored a second-half try in the bonus-point victory while Crowley came off the bench to replace starting academy fly-half Tony Butler on 67 minutes and kicked the seventh and final conversion of the evening.

Back-five forward Tadhg Beirne, loosehead props Dave Kilcoyne and Jeremy Loughman, scrum-half Conor Murray and captain and flanker Peter O’Mahony also rejoined their Munster team-mates on Monday ahead of this Friday’s visit to interprovincial rivals Ulster in Belfast.

Loughman had taken part in Saturday’s pre-game warm-up and appears most likely to return to the red jersey at Kingspan Stadium, though Rowntree said none of his World Cup returnees would be hurried into action.

“I’m not going to rush them back,” Rowntree told the Irish Examiner on Saturday night. “I’ll pick them when it’s right to, for the team and for them because what they’ve been through, having been there myself, it’s a tough experience emotionally and physically.

“So I’ll pick them when it’s the right time… I’d say the early signs are no (to face Ulster).

“I want to see how they present and train rather than trying to force them into a big game for us on Friday night when we’ve got a well-oiled group of lads here who have been doing it as a group for a long time.

“I’ll name the team probably Thursday at the latest and so we’ll see how we they present … and train.”

Munster will also be monitoring Calvin Nash’s recover from a knee injury sustained in the act of scoring his second try of the night against the Dragons.

The in-form wing was helped from the field at Musgrave Park and will be assessed by Munster medics in the coming days before his availability for the trip to Belfast is determined.

Wing Simon Zebo (foot) and loosehead Josh Wycherley (neck) are both due to return to full training this week and will be available for selection, though Munster will remain without full-backs Patrick Campbell (ankle) and Mike Haley (hip), wing Andrew Conway (knee), lock Cian Hurley (ankle and Achilles), tighthead prop Roman Salanoa (knee), and hooker Niall Scannell (groin).