Curwin Bosch, last week’s Man of the Match, proved that beyond his calm temperament and strong attacking style, he brings a clinical kicking game to his repertoire, something that always stands a team in good stead.
Playing the territorial game put the Blue Bulls under enormous pressure and hopefully the Lions will suffer a similar fate should Bosch’s boot be needed again.
“I’ve put a lot of hours into it, I’m used to these conditions, I’ve played in them a lot in Port Elizabeth so we knew what to do,” the young flyhalf explains. “The coaches had done their homework on the Blue Bulls and gave me feedback on the game and kicking plan.”
No flyhalf can dictate a game if he is constantly on the back foot, forced to go backwards, but playing in a winning team, behind a dominant pack brings a huge amount of confidence.
“One of our goals was to go undefeated this tournament and I must make mention of the hard work the forwards have done, they’ve set a platform for the backline to attack off. A major part of our success must be attributed to our forwards.
“If we keep playing well, earning a home semi-final and a possible home final, would be great for the union.”
With the pressure on the Cell C Sharks to maintain our winning ways, ensure we remain at Growthpoint KINGS PARK for the remainder of the competition (which one more win will lock down), Bosch himself understands the pressure he faces, despite his youth in an already youthful backline.
“As flyhalf, you’re a leader in the team and you have to make most of the calls, if you’re going to have a cool head, there’s no reason for the rest of the team to lose theirs’. What I’ve learned from Pat Lambie who was also a young leader in this team was about having a cool head and never panicking.
“The senior players I’m surrounded by – Odwa Ndungane, Keegan Daniel, Ruan Botha our captain – they make it easier for me to control the game and to keep the guys calm.”
Although he is spoken of so highly in rugby circles, he understands that individual success is often a product of the hard work his team-mates put in.
“It’s great to hear those things, but for now it’s about doing what’s best for the team; individual accolades will come when the team does well.”
Although like many players who are selected at both flyhalf and fullback (Pat Lambie is another example), coach Robert du Preez feels that he is equally at home at both, such is his versatility.
“I think Curwin can play 15, he’s shown that and he played well for us at 15. He does well when he has a lot of space around him. We have to be open-minded about him, at this stage I wouldn’t want to box him into one position because that might change. I think it’s part of his growth.”
It doesn’t hurt that his coach backs him to the hilt and has full confidence in his abilities.
“Curwin played really well last week, he controlled the game; it was probably his best game of the season,” said his coach.
“The good news is that there is more to come from him.”
The post Keeping a Cool Head appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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