When RG Snyman starts talking about his love of Mongolian throat singing, it is further proof that the giant known as The Viking is an unorthodox icon of South Africa’s fabled Bomb Squad.
He has an evocative nickname to go with a striking look, but the 29-year-old’s actual name is a mystery to most people, certainly outside his own country. The initials stand for Rudolph Gerhardus. For rival forwards, they stand for big trouble.
The towering double World Cup-winner has certainly made a name for himself in recent years, approaching the top of England’s ones to watch when they face off on Saturday at Twickenham. He has become a key figure at the heart of the Springboks’ fearsome pack – whether starting or coming off the bench with the rest of Rassie Erasmus’s heavyweight replacements.
He even has a ‘Bomb Squad’ tattoo on his right hip – and I’ll leave my Mail Sport colleague Joe Marler to explain his thoughts on that elsewhere in these pages.
He has also become a cult figure on social media, for his eye-catching handling skills and his knack of laughing his way through scraps against multiple opponents.
One particular clash with an entire pack of Australians became a viral hit. ‘I think that was in 2018,’ Snyman tells Mail Sport. ‘I found it so funny because all their guys were around me but obviously nothing is really going to happen, it’s just a bit of push and shove. So, I just laughed about it.’
An icon of South Africa’s fabled Bomb Squad, RG Snyman, has been recalled to face England
The towering double World Cup-winner has certainly made a name for himself in recent years
On a clash with a whole pack of Australians in 2018, Snyman (2nd left) said: ‘I found it so funny’
He laughs a lot, as he goes about his punishing work. Having joined Leinster from arch-enemies Munster in the summer, he has been in the spotlight for outrageous, one-handed lineout takes and try celebrations borrowed from American football. In Dublin, he has rapidly become a fan favourite.
Having grown up in Pretoria and dabbled with water polo and cricket before focusing fully on rugby, Snyman decided to take up an offer from Honda Heat in Japan. It turned out to be a culture shock for him and also for the locals who were dwarfed by him.
‘At the start, I had no idea what I was going into,’ he says. ‘If I look back now, I think, “What was I doing?”. I had no idea where I was going. I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t know the coaches. I think I was 21 or 22 at that stage, so I just thought, “Let’s go there and see what happens”.
‘I ended up loving it, that first season. I played in the second division and it was great fun. It was just what I needed at that stage in my career because if you made a mistake, you just kept going and there would be another chance. I had a great time in Japan.
‘It was kind of interesting. The club I played for are based in Suzuka, which is a small Japanese town. The F1 is there once a year, which is the only thing that happens there, and the Honda factory is based there.
‘When I first got there, they sat me down and said, “Listen, people are going to be scared of you. Be mindful of that when you are walking around the shops and the train station. You need to be careful”. That was a first for me.’
Pictures and clips began to circulate of Snyman in the Far East, looking like a sporting Gulliver in Lilliput. He loomed over team-mates, opponents and the public. It looked like he was a different species to all those around him.
He joined Leinster from arch-rivals Munster in the summer and has since been in the spotlight
Snyman explains he ‘had no idea what I was going into’ while playing for Honda Heat in Japan
He was initially told that people would be scared of him when he moved due to his size
Asked if he recalled any episodes of causing panic, he says: ‘It was kind of funny one time in a supermarket, I was walking down an aisle. The shelves are a lot lower than I was used to, so I could see over the shelves.
‘When I walked into the aisle, this guy walked into the other end of the aisle, he just looked straight at me, turned around and walked back. He looked fearful. I could see him walking down the next aisle, so he just didn’t want to come close to me or anywhere near me. That was funny!’
The time in Japan proved useful for Snyman’s development as he found that he had to adapt his rampaging, off-loading game to fit with the needs of that team and league. Then he went to Munster in the midst of the Covid pandemic and ran into a period of bad luck which disrupted his career.
A savage knee injury on debut for the province took a long time to overcome, with setbacks along the way, then soon after his eventual comeback, he re-ruptured the same anterior cruciate ligament, which sidelined him for a further 17 months.
As if all that wasn’t enough, he endured another enforced absence from playing after suffering serious burns in a firepit accident. There are still scars from that unfortunate incident.
Asked about it, Snyman says: ‘Someone tried to put petrol on the fire and I ended up a real mess. I ended up getting burned. It happened in Limerick. I was burned on my leg and my hand.
‘I was still out injured and just getting back to training, so when that happened it wasn’t great timing. It kept me on the sideline a little bit longer. I had to have a skin graft.’
It meant he missed the series victory over the Lions in 2021, but Snyman was back on duty with the Boks in time to be part of their second successive World Cup triumph, late last year.
Snyman has had horrible luck with injuries and faced some lengthy spells on the sidelines
He has fond memories of squad camaraderie and how their families helped in the World Cup
He has fond memories of the camaraderie in the squad and the presence of their families with them throughout that tournament in France. And he was stunned by the reception when they landed back in Johannesburg with the Webb Ellis Cup.
‘Something I’ll never forget is when we walked back into the airport,’ he says. ‘In 2019, we were split up a bit on our flights so I didn’t really experience that incredible first moment when you walk into the airport and everyone is there. So, in 2023, when we came back, it absolutely blew my mind. I couldn’t believe it.
‘It feels like you walk into this whole, different energy, surrounded by people who all these feelings and emotions built up and it gets released into one building. It was absolutely incredible.
‘You think you have an idea what it will be like, but when you see it and experience it, it blows you away.
‘You get this feeling of, “This is why we do what we do. This is the impact it can have. Look at what it means to all of these people back home”. It’s special.’
Even among such a vast crowd, Snyman will always stand out. He is easily recognisable, as a formidable figure with a Mohican and a long beard.
So, does he cut his own hair? ‘I go to the barber every now and then but my wife helps me too,’ he says. And will the beard be allowed to grow and grow? ‘I kind of let it go until Saskia (his wife) complains that it’s getting too long, then I trim it a bit.’
The Viking moniker was apparently coined by the South African media, but he inspired it with his choice of body art on one arm. ‘I think I got the tattoo first, then the nickname happened,’ he said. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by Viking history.’
Used to being in front of the camera, Snyman is also partakes in photography as a hobby
England could try and target Snyman at Twickenham, but, if they do, he will laugh it off
That’s not the only fascination. Asked about his musical preferences, Snyman said: ‘I kind of listen to everything, but Mongolian throat singing is definitely something that gets the guys going.’
It came across as a wind-up, but apparently not. ‘Go and listen to the Hu band,’ he added. ‘Listen to one of their songs.’
He has become used to being in front of a camera, but Snyman also likes to wield one himself. ‘I enjoy taking photos,’ he said. ‘I like photography and I’m trying to learn a bit of videography too. That interests me. I try to take photos if we are on tour. If we are playing golf, I take photos. If we go on safari, I take photos. Anything and everything at this stage.’
No doubt, plenty of photos will be taken of Snyman on Saturday. He will be starting alongside Eben Etzebeth in the Springboks’ second row, ready to wreak havoc at Twickenham, with his dazzling off-loads, lineout dexterity and confrontational edge.
If England try to target him, the Viking is likely to laugh it off. And on another grand occasion, the giant will continue to make a name for himself.
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