Leinster have confirmed the Springboks’ worst fears over RG Snyman’s injury.
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The 31-year-old will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season with a ruptured ACL suffered against the Glasgow Warriors.
It is a bitter blow for Leinster, who face Edinburgh in the last 16 of the invested champions cup in Dublin on Sunday and lie fourth on the Vodacom URC standings.
Snyman is also unlikely to feature for the Springboks in 2026 as a ruptured ACL is anywhere between six to 12 months recovery.
Snyman, who ruptured the ACL in his other knee when playing for Munster, has a season remaining on his Leinster contract
Meanwhile, Leinster confirmed that Ireland prop Andrew Porter came through last Friday’s win over the Scarlets with no issues and is available for selection this weekend.
Prop Tadhg Furlong, lock James Ryan, centre Garry Ringrose and fullback Jimmy O’Brien are all due to be further assessed with decisions on their availability to be made later in the week.
The towering lock, who has impressed with his physicality and mobility in England, admitted that he placed too much pressure on himself earlier in his career.
“I always worried and thought, ‘I need to do something special to get into the Springbok team,’” he said. “But lately I’ve just been focusing on what I’m doing, getting through my processes, playing rugby and enjoying it.”
When I put too much pressure on myself, I started playing badly,” he explained. “I was focusing on the wrong things, playing selfishly and thinking about myself instead of the team.”
Instead, Van der Mescht has embraced a simpler approach.
“My end goal is to enjoy my rugby,” he said. “That’s why I started playing in the first place. If I play well enough, the rest will follow.
While the 2027 World Cup looms as a tantalising prospect, the lock is determined not to get ahead of himself.
“I’m not really thinking about the World Cup,” he said. “It’s something I don’t want to dwell on because it can take my mind away from how I’m playing now.
“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to play for the Springboks and I’d take the opportunity with both hands. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world.”
