Full Green and Gold circle for proud Snyman family

The decision by 18-year-old Keira Snyman to leave her home in Denver, Colorado, in pursuit of wearing the green and gold rugby jersey – once proudly worn by her father André – worked out well on a sunny Friday afternoon in Stellenbosch.

There, in a town synonymous with rugby, the Junior Springbok Women took to the field against their U20 counterparts from the USA, with Snyman on the left wing.

And proudly sitting in the stands of the Markötter Stadium at Paul Roos Gimnasium was her dad, André Snyman, who first wore the Springbok badge 30 years ago at the start of an international career that saw him play 38 Tests and score 10 tries for South Africa.

There was no jet lag, despite the long-haul trip from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, just an immense feeling of gratitude, joy, and pride, said Snyman senior afterwards.

“It was a very proud moment to see my daughter running out in the green and gold,” said the 52-year-old.

“It made the long trip from Colorado worth the while. It is just so great to be here and witness this moment with her.”

Standing alongside her dad, still dressed in her match kit, Keira echoed the sentiments: “It was such an honour to represent this team today and even more so that my dad, as an ex-Springbok, could share in this moment with me, and our family.”

Keira was bitten by the rugby bug when her dad was coaching her younger brother, and she was sitting on the side of the field, watching and supporting. When he scored a try, she said she wanted to do the same. Rugby filled a gap that ballet classes, athletics, and field hockey could not quite address.

At that stage, the exploits of her dad in famous matches against the All Blacks, England, France, and the British & Irish Lions had not quite sunk in.

“I knew rugby was a big thing early on with all the jerseys hanging in our house, but I only really realised how big he was two years ago at the Rugby World Cup final in France, when everybody came up to him for photos and chats,” recalled Keira.

That trip – with Andre receiving a surprise 50^th birthday present from his wife, and Keira travelling with them as a 16-year-old rugby fan – made her realise that rugby in South Africa means something. So, when the opportunity came to try something similar two years later, it was easy to make the call.

A drive by SA Rugby to attract top players abroad with South African eligibility status was led by Dave Wessels, who heads up the High-Performance Department of the organisation.

“Our goal is to attract all the best South African sportswomen to rugby. That includes female athletes currently playing other sports, and those living overseas,” Wessels said.

“There are a lot of talented athletes whose parents emigrated. We want to give them an opportunity to come home and represent South Africa.”

As such, Snyman was approached. Her talent had been spotted by local scouts and the England Rugby Football Union, which invited her to participate in their U18 programme.

After her two recent U20 matches, Keira has also been roped into the Springbok Women’s Sevens set-up, which underlined the fact that she made the right decision, even though it was not about comfort, but rather instinct.

“It was a hard decision,” she revealed. “I am not going to lie. I grew up in America, and I have a life there, but when following your dreams, there will be sacrifices, so that made it easier.

“I have to compliment my teammates as well. Being here and adapting was made so much easier by them. They welcomed me, and that helped a lot.”

André, who is a rugby coach in Denver, said the turn of events came as a surprise: “There was never an expectation that she should come back to South Africa to wear the green and gold,” he explained.

“I always told her that rugby should be fun, too. The fact that she could get here and had fun on the way is great. But this was something she chased, and I am happy to be here in support.”

The USA U20s won both matches. Snyman said he was not surprised by those results, knowing the well-established pathways for their players: “These girls have been playing rugby from a young age, and they have school programmes, and a lot of them are going back into their college teams. That rugby programme is where they are ahead of us.”

Snyman praised the efforts of Wessels and others at SA Rugby to broaden the base of age-group girls and said their plan to attract overseas-based players is a good one.

“We have the SA Schools teams now, which is a first, and great news,” he said.

“I also understand that there are numerous pathways secured for the younger girls. Those programmes starting up now will help SA Rugby to catch up in that regard.

“It is worth supporting. I don’t know of many players in the USA who are eligible, but there were a number of them with Keira in the England U18 group who could follow this path. The pathway will be crucial for others to come, and it is good to see the development of that option.”

Issued by SA Rugby Communications