Bosch: 'My best can be good enough for Springboks'

VIDEO: Curwin Bosch wants to get back into the Springbok conversation, and he has no intention of abandoning that dream.

Bosch will face the All Blacks for the first time in his career when the Bulls host the Kiwis at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in his first outing for the Bulls.

The two years he spent in France gave the former schoolboy prodigy the fresh start he needed to rediscover his confidence and freedom.

The 29-year-old joined the Bulls after spending the past two seasons with Brive in France’s Pro D2, where he believes he gained the experience and perspective needed to reignite his career.

Bosch was once regarded as one of South Africa’s brightest young talents. He represented the SA Schools and Junior Springboks before earning his first two Test caps in 2017, aged just 20.

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But his career at the Sharks eventually stalled. With his form under scrutiny and Siya Masuku emerging as a serious contender at flyhalf, Bosch made the difficult decision to leave Durban in 2024 and take up a new challenge in France.

It proved to be exactly what he needed.

Rather than seeing his move to the second tier of French rugby as a step backwards, Bosch used his time at Brive to broaden his game, adapt to a completely different rugby culture and, most importantly, rediscover his confidence.

He played predominantly at flyhalf but was also given the freedom to operate from fullback, finishing his final season with 191 points and two tries in 24 appearances.

Now, back in the South African system with the Bulls, Bosch believes he has returned a better and more mature player – and his ultimate goal remains the same.

Asked whether he still harbours Springbok ambitions at 29, Bosch was unequivocal.

“A hundred percent. The day those ambitions go away is the day I’ll stop playing rugby,” he told Rugby365.

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For a player who has already experienced the highs and lows of being a highly touted young talent, Bosch believes the lessons of the past two years could ultimately help him make another push for the green and gold.

“That is why I’m so grateful for the last two years that have happened because I know that if I combine the experience, the knowledge, and play with that freedom that I want to play with, the confidence will be there and my best will be good enough to make the Springboks.”

His move away from the Sharks was not, Bosch insists, because he had become unhappy in Durban. Instead, he recognised that the familiarity of his surroundings had perhaps become a barrier to his development.

“It wasn’t an unhappy place at the Sharks. I think I just started becoming too comfortable at the Sharks. It was a safe space for me,” he said.

“I knew everything. I knew everyone. I knew the whole of Durban. So it was just a comfortable place for me to be in, and sometimes it is hard to leave that comfort.”

Leaving South Africa forced Bosch to confront that comfort zone head-on.

“It was exactly what I needed just to get out of my comfort zone, go to a country where I can’t speak the language, and in my position, it’s a key part of my position.”

The adjustment was not straightforward. Bosch admitted that adapting to French culture and the way the game is approached was one of the biggest challenges he faced during his time at Brive.

“That was probably the most difficult part about being in France, is that culture. It is very different from what we’re used to,” he said.

But the experience ultimately taught him how to adapt without losing his own identity as a player.

“The first half of the season really was about adapting, just getting used to those sort of things, and then you sort of find ways within their culture and within their system to find yourself and set your feet.”

That process appears to have left Bosch with a renewed sense of confidence as he returns to the South African rugby landscape.

At the Bulls, he will have the opportunity to compete alongside a strong group of flyhalf options following Johan Goosen’s retirement, with Handre Pollard and Luan Giliomee also in the mix.