Curwin Bosch has a golden opportunity to remind the Springboks of his worth if he is picked by the Bulls to face the All Blacks on Saturday.
Former Springbok flyhalf Curwin Bosch is in line to make his Bulls debut against the All Blacks on Saturday having returned to South Africa from France. Picture: Vodacom Bulls
Former Springbok flyhalf Curwin Bosch believes he is good enough to fight his way back into the national team setup, as he prepares to make his Bulls debut against the All Blacks on Saturday.
It will be the third game of their Greatest Rivalry tour for the All Blacks, after playing the Stormers last Friday, and Sharks on Tuesday night, and Bosch is expected to be named in the Bulls match 23, which coach Johan Ackermann will announce on Thursday morning.
The 29-year-old Bosch played two matches for the Boks early in his career, against Argentina in 2017 and Wales in 2018, but was then unable to add to those caps despite being a regular for the Sharks until he left the union in 2023.
Over the past two seasons he has played for Brive in the French second division and believes his experiences have helped mould him into a better player, and when asked if he still had dreams of playing for the Springboks, he answered emphatically.
“I 100% still have those ambitions (to play for the Boks). The day those ambitions go away, I’ll stop playing rugby. So that is why I am so grateful for the last two years I had in France,” said Bosch.
“Because I know if I combine all the experience and knowledge (that I have built up), and play with that freedom that I want to play with. The confidence is there and my best will be good enough to make the Springboks.”
Out of comfort zone
Bosch explained that leaving the Sharks, where he had started his senior career straight out of school as a 19-year-old, was all about getting out of his comfort zone and learning new things.
“It was like a mental break, if I can put it like that. It was just so good for me mentally. To spend a bit of time in France, just to get the shackles off and get back to what I do best, which is play rugby. There were no sideshows or distractions,” said Bosch.
“It wasn’t that I was unhappy, I think I started becoming too comfortable at the Sharks. It was a safe space for me. I knew everything, I knew everyone, I knew the whole of Durban, so it was just a comfortable place for me to be in.
“Sometimes it is hard to leave that comfort, but it was exactly what I needed. Just to get out of my comfort zone and go to a country where I couldn’t speak the language, and in my position (communication) is a key part of it. I learnt a lot.”
Looking ahead to what is likely to be his first Bulls appearance in their game against the All Blacks, Bosch admitted he was thrilled to be in the running to take part in the historic match.
“It’s an amazing experience. I think they said the last All Blacks tour here was in 1996 which was a year before I was born. So it’s an amazing opportunity and I am really excited for this weekend. It is an opportunity of a lifetime, to test yourself against the second best team in the world,” said Bosch.
