There is no denying the Springbok lock had a sensational campaign for the Irish giants.
United Rugby Championship
Attack – Points scored: 10, tries: 2, carries: 86, successful carries: 38, defenders beaten 10, metres gained 77, offloads: 35
His 38 successful carries, meaning the number of times he broke the gainline with ball in hand, puts him in the top 100 of the competition.
His 35 offloads, several of them spectacular, rank second in the competition behind only Munster’s Ireland international centre Tom Farrell.
Defence – tackles made: 60, tackle success rate: 83%, turnovers won: 4, turnovers lost: 8, lineout steals won: 4
On defence, Snyman had a decent season but there is certainly room for improvement in the tackle success rate, as well as the fact that he lost the ball twice as many times as he won it back with a turnover.
However, his four lineout steals rank him 16th in the competition and his size is a constant threat to opposition teams at lineout time.
Discipline – Yellow cards: 0, Red cards: 0, penalties conceded: 8
The fact that he only conceded eight penalties in 11 games in the URC is a significant achievement for someone so involved in the tight play and ranks him in the top 80 in the competition.
Champions Cup
Attack – minutes played: 337 points scored: 10, tries: 2, try assists: 1, carries: 45, clean breaks: 2, defenders beaten: 6, metres made: 115, offloads 16, passes 30
Snyman was a monster with ball in hand for Leinster in the Champions Cup. Once again, he is second in the competition for offloads, behind only French superstar Antoine Dupont and his 115 metres gained puts him among the top forwards in the competition.
Defence – tackles made 40, tackles missed: 9, tackle success: 80%, turnovers won: 2
On defence, it is once again clear that Snyman has a bit of work to do with his tackle success rate and the team might be hoping for a couple more turnovers next season, considering how many rucks he hits, but it was still a decent performance overall.
Discipline – Yellow cards: 0, red cards: 0
Snyman’s disciplinary record across both the URC and Champions Cup was exemplary as he did not spend a single minute in the sin bin across either competition and that is certainly worth plenty of praise. It is much easier for a coach to strategise if they know their players are going to stay on the park.
