Cape Town - Springbok lock RG Snyman is making a name for himself in a hurry. 

He was immense in his Test debut on Saturday as the Boks overturned a 24-3 deficit to beat England 42-39 at Ellis Park, and it hasn't taken long for critics to start comparing him to former Bok legend Victor Matfield.

Snyman's lineout steal in the dying stages of the match came at a time when England were seeking a winning try, while he also set up fellow-debutant Aphiwe Dyantyi for a try. 

"It's a big honour and a privilege to play for the Springboks. It's something you dream about growing up. Running out at Ellis Park is a special moment, seeing all those people there to support you. It was a nice match to play," Snyman said on Tuesday. 

The 23-year-old credited Duane Vermeulen for calming the team down with a talk under the posts when the Boks had slipped to 24-3.

"The first 20 minutes, I felt like it was never going to end," he said of his debut.

"Playing with guys that have walked the road in a Bok jersey before and have a lot of experience was nice, especially being down after 20 minutes and Duane just having a chat to us.

"You can see that maybe he's been in a situation like that before and he instilled a bit of calmness into the guys."

Snyman has been in superb form for the Bulls in 2018 and he said he was thriving under the mentorship of John Mitchell.

"Mitch doesn't really put a lot of pressure on us," said Snyman.

"He just wants us to have fun on the field and he understands what makes every player good. He just tries to focus on that and I think that's the difference."