Durban - Much has been said about how the Sharks have been struggling without their Springboks in the United Rugby Championship, and correctly so, but how heartening it must be for them that a forgotten Bok is leading their rebuild.
Curwin Bosch won two Test caps for the Boks as teenager, one in 2017 and one in 2018, but then dropped completely off the national radar but the way he has been playing in the last month or so has made him a contender once more.
And mostly because he has fixed the glaring weakness — his tackling — that made him a no-go for SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
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I am not saying he is now in the World Cup frame but if he continues to play as he did against the Lions at the weekend, the Bok coaches have to look at him if the flyhalf position suffers an injury crisis.
After the Sharks had rallied in the second half under Bosch’s stewardship to win 29-7, both Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen and Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell said Bosch was the difference between the teams.
Van Rooyen said Bosch “bossed us in the second half” while Powell said, “it is so nice when you have a flyhalf that can take control and take you home.”
Last week, Bosch was the player the Sharks proffered to the media for an interview and he said that he had rekindled his love for the game during an 11-week injury-enforced break from the game.
“I have become a student of the game once more,” Bosch said. He also explained that he had seen a sport psychologist while recovering from a broken thumb.
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It was about a year ago that Bosch was down and out. He had suffered a downward spiral in form and confidence and lost his position in the Sharks’ starting line-up.
Late last year, the Sharks had a break between competitions which allowed them to do some pre-season conditioning work and it was when they had a friendly against the Stormers that Bosch broke his thumb.
“Mentally, the long break was exactly what I needed,” Bosch said.
“It was the longest I’ve ever been out since I left school so I had time to reflect on where I am and where I want to go.
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“It was refreshing for me to be removed from the game. It gave me a chance to miss the game again — especially as I couldn’t pass a rugby ball for 11 weeks. I saw a psychologist for a while to refocus my mind.
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“Last season, I was very frustrate because my rugby was not where I wanted it to be, and because of that I became more results-orientated,” Bosch said. “Every game I’d set goals and all I wanted was to achieve those goals, losing the love of the game in the process.
“Now I am looking forward to training each day and enjoying it instead of looking from Saturday to Saturday. It was simple things I already knew but needed to hear from someone else, someone outside of rugby,” Bosch said of his sessions with a psychologist.
This week the Sharks host Ulster in Durban and as Powell says, it is reassuring for them to have a confident Bosch steering the ship.
@MikeGreenaway67