LEO CULLEN IS hoping RG Snyman can have a similar impact to that of his former team-mates Rocky Elsom and Brad Thorn when the South African international joins the Leinster ranks for the 2024/25 season.

Following intense speculation for a number of days, it was announced by Leinster Rugby on Tuesday afternoon that the two-time World Cup winner will be joining the eastern province (on what is reported to be a one-year deal) after his time with their arch rivals Munster comes to a close at the end of the current campaign.

Although he only spent a single season at Leinster, Australian native Elsom played a pivotal role in their maiden Heineken Cup success of 2009. Despite only arriving at the province midway through the campaign, Thorn – a World Cup champion in his own right with New Zealand a year earlier – lined up alongside Cullen when Leinster defeated interprovincial rivals Ulster in a 2012 Heineken Cup decider.

“When you think of guys like Rocky, who came in for less than 12 months, and Brad Thorn, who came in for three or four months. Those guys left a real lasting legacy on the place. Sometimes, you need that little bit extra to get across the line. Again, that’s the hope with any player you bring in,” Cullen remarked at a Leinster media briefing held at the Ken Wall Centre of Excellence in Donnybrook yesterday.

“Those two guys were successful for sure in short windows and added a lot to all the people who were there at that time. It’s not something we’ve done a huge amount of over the years, but those are two examples that do stand out.”

Given he had been linked with a cross-channel move to Bath – who are currently flying high under former Munster head coach Johann van Graan in Premiership Rugby – after it was announced last month that he wasn’t going to be staying in Limerick beyond next summer, it came as something of a surprise when a move to Leinster suddenly became a major possibility for the towering second row.

Yet from Cullen’s perspective, the process that led to Snyman choosing his next career destination was a relatively simple one.

“It happened quickly, it was just making sure [we were] getting everything signed off. It’s not particularly complex. From our point of view, it’s sort of like ‘well there’s a player landing in before us’ and we’re like ‘do we progress with this?’, because there is genuine interest.

“He’s a player coming in. He’s obviously top end with experience, winning two World Cups. An injury profile which hasn’t been great since he’s been in the country, but he wanted to stay in Ireland and explore other opportunities within Ireland. Thankfully we were able to get the deal done and that’s it really.”

While injuries have restricted Snyman to just 10 appearances for Munster since August 2020 (he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament on two occasions and is currently sidelined with a chest/shoulder problem), he could prove to be a major asset for Leinster when next season comes around.

Having played his part off the bench as Munster claimed the United Rugby Championship with a final victory over the Stormers in Cape Town last May, he went on to feature six times off the bench during South Africa’s successful defence of their Rugby World Cup crown in France.

There is already some discussion about what Snyman’s signing might mean for the existing homegrown locks within the Leinster set-up, with no fewer than five Irish players in their senior squad capable of playing in this position. It has also been suggested in some quarters that there could be a restriction on how often they might be able to use Snyman and Cullen acknowledged this is one of many issues that will be dealt with in advance of his arrival.

“When you bring in a player, there will be some level of conversation. That has always been the way when we’ve brought in players in the past to the province to some extent, depending on the position. It’s on a case-by-case. It’s hard to go into the specifics of that because I don’t think it’s fair for the people closest to it,” Cullen added.

“Making sure certain players are coming through, that’s something we’ve never tried to push back against. We’ve never really signed this type of player. We’ve signed a player who has won two World Cups, it has been a long time since Leinster have been in the market for that type of player.

“It’s a departure for us, a departure from what we’ve done generally. We’ve brought our own young guys through and we’ll continue to do so as well.”

Daire Walsh