Leinster hopeful RG Snyman will be fit for second or third round of URC

Leinster expect RG Snyman to feature in the second or third round of the new BKT URC season as the South Africa lock recovers from a foot injury.

The 29-year-old, who switched to Leinster from Munster over the summer, missed the opening four games of the Rugby Championship and returned to Ireland last week.

He will stay in Dublin as he continues to rehab with a target of facing the Dragons on 27 September or Benetton a week later.

"RG came back, he injured his foot, but it's pretty minor, thankfully," Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said on Tuesday.

"He is rehabbing with us at the moment. He was out on the side of the pitch there.

"I’ve just come in from a session, he was doing a rehab run. He is making progress.

"I am not sure if he will be back for round one but hopefully by round two or three, he will be back for us.

"With South Africa, in terms of the Rugby Championship, listen, he is not going to be available, you have seen they have already announced their squad for next week, he won’t travel to Argentina, so he is likely to stay with us then for the remainder."

Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, who missed the tour to South Africa with a hamstring injury, has returned to full training and may face Edinburgh in Leinster’s opening game on 20 September.

Meanwhile, Cullen, whose side lost a third consecutive Champions Cup final last season, says he remains open-minded about who will be his starting out-half this season.

Ireland internationals Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne and Ciarán Frawley, who scored two drop goals in the second Test win over the Springboks, and Sam Prendergast are all in the mix.

"Ciarán is someone accumulating experience, and it’s fantastic that he puts himself in that situation again," he said, referring to