Former Sharks player Curwin Bosch is ready to debut for the Bulls in a match against the All Blacks, which will take place on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld stadium. Two years spent in France allowed Bosch to feel free and return to the style of play that made him a Springbok star.
The Biggest Rivalry in Rugby
Ahead of a potential debut in the third match of rugby's greatest rivalry, Bosch, an all-round forward, aims to demonstrate his readiness for a new level of play. The 29-year-old, former Sharks star, will represent Pretoria in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup season and is ready to take on the challenge awaiting him at Loftus Versfeld.
Bosch, who is expected to start at number 10 in the highly anticipated match, stated that the time spent in Brie gave him a new chapter in his career. He noted that the most important aspect was the mental shift.
'The biggest plus was the mental switch,' Bosch said this week about his overseas experience. 'I felt so good mentally spending some time in France, shaking off the shackles and getting back to what I do best, which is playing rugby. There was no pretense or distractions there. I could just focus on playing good rugby.'
He expressed admiration for returning to South Africa and emphasized that there is no place like home. 'Even Pretoria, where I have never lived before, feels different. It feels like home.'
Now Bosch is ready to embrace everything that awaits him at the Bulls, starting with a friendly match against the New Zealand team. Although he played for the Boks in two tests, in 2017 and 2018, he has never faced the All Blacks.
In Bosch's opinion, the match at Loftus Versfeld will be the perfect opportunity to show that he has recovered the attacking instinct that made him a star. He believes that abroad he regained his talent after feeling somewhat constrained in recent seasons with the Sharks.
'I just felt much freer. In the last couple of seasons I spent in South Africa, I felt a bit caged. That time in France set me free. It brought me back to how rugby is played in school. You see the space and you use it. That's when I play my best,' he added. 'This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test myself against the second-best team in the world. The last time the Bulls met them, I hadn't even been born.'
He also reported that his ambitions with the Boks national team remain strong, and that he will stop playing rugby when they go on tour. Despite being out of the national team conversation for almost ten years, Bosch is aiming to play for the Bulls to return to the national perspective.


