Bosch loving his rugby at Sharks
SHARKS player Curwin Bosch has credited the work conducted by former Bok flyhalf Braam van Straaten after his man of the match performance against the Cheetahs on Saturday.
Bosch started his first Super Rugby game at flyhalf in Bloemfontein, shifting from fullback to pivot to play a leading role as the Durban-based side secured an impressive 38-30 win that keeps the Sharks’ campaign well on track.
The youngster scored 18 points after producing a flawless performance from the kicking tee, which once again illustrated that he is certainly at home on the Super Rugby stage.
After the important win over the Cheetahs, an elated Bosch said a big focus had been placed on the team’s kicking game under the guidance of Van Straaten, who has been working with the team as a kicking coach.
“We’ve really been working very hard on our kicking. Braam has been working closely with us at the Sharks. I’m just enjoying my rugby at the moment. I’ve played flyhalf at school and for the Sharks in the Currie Cup, so it has been quite an easy transition for me. What has also really made it a lot easier is the fact that the team has really been working so hard around me to lay a good foundation.”
After producing a commanding performance at pivot, Bosch paid due praise to the Sharks pack that made a considerable impact against the Cheetahs.
“The forwards really made a big impact in this game. They might have been a bit discouraged after last weekend’s performance (against the Kings), but they really bounced back in this game.”
It was a point echoed by captain Tera Mtembu: “One of our main goals as a team is for our forwards to dominate. If you aren’t firing in that department, then more often than not you’re going to lose the game. So we really wanted to pick up our performance from last weekend, and I think we delivered on that. Another focus point of ours was our scrum, but I think that got better as the game went on. The result will have served as a considerable morale booster for the Sharks, but it was a disappointing outcome for a Cheetahs team that arguably came into the clash as marginal favourites at home.
“I think we let the Sharks back into the game,” Cheetahs captain Francois Venter said. “We need to look closely at the breakdown, but credit to the Sharks, they were clinical and used all their chances.
“We created a lot of chances, but silly mistakes crept in with some handling errors, and we couldn’t quite handle the pressure. It’s something we need to go and look at. We gave away too many turnovers, and we have a new challenge coming up against the Stormers, so we need to prepare well for that.” – African News Agency