Springbok legend Andre Snyman's daughter earns Junior Springbok Women call-up

Keira Snyman, the 18-year-old daughter of former Springbok centre Andre Snyman, has been included as an additional player in South Africa’s 30-strong Junior Springbok Women squad ahead of a two-match series against USA Women’s U20 in Stellenbosch.

The teenager, who can play on the wing or at centre, was born in Durban but raised in the USA and England, and has previously featured in age-grade training camps for both nations. She spent the majority of this season in England with Old Albanians, Saracens’ feeder club, where she won the RFU National Cup and a Hertfordshire league title with their Junior Saints U18s side. Her performances for invitational sevens teams last summer drew the attention of England selectors, who named her in several U18 Women training camps.

SA Rugby has framed Snyman’s inclusion as part of a broader initiative to identify and integrate overseas-based players who are eligible to represent South Africa. Should she go on to earn senior Test caps, she would follow in the footsteps of her father, who scored 10 tries in 38 appearances for the Springbok Men.

The squad also includes full Springbok Women internationals Abigail Smit and Zethu Gcaza, both locks who made their senior Test debuts at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Kenya three months ago.

Junior Springbok Women head coach Hayden Groepes said the programme was about more than squad selection. “We are currently identifying, assessing, and preparing the next generation of players who we believe can contribute to the future success of the Springbok Women’s programme,” he said. “The focus has been on more than just selecting players — it has been about exposing them to elite standards, accelerating their development, and building a sustainable pathway into senior international rugby.”

The USA squad, coached by Katie Dowty, includes Bella Vogel, who featured in the recent two-match Test series against the senior Springbok Women.