A Springboks fly-half could be taking on the four-time world champions next month when Rassie Erasmus’ side begin their 2025 international season.
South Africa face Italy and Georgia in their July series, but before that they have a game against the Barbarians in Cape Town on June 28.
According to Rapport, the BaaBaas have contacted Curwin Bosch about playing for the invitational side after impressing for his club team Brive.
The 27-year-old has earned two caps for the Boks, with the last of those coming in Erasmus’ first game in charge. Bosch started at full-back in that clash but they succumbed 22-20 to Wales in Washington DC.
Struggles for the Sharks
Since then, the playmaker has struggled to live up to the potential he showed as a youngster and left the Sharks at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Bosch duly joined Brive in the Pro D2 and the fly-half has shone for the French outfit, playing at both 10 and 15.
“It’s a new environment. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make the Springbok squad and that was my only goal,” he told Rapport.
“It was something I thought about every day and I tried to become a perfect rugby player.
“I wanted to do everything right, but in the process I started doing less, because I wanted to be perfect.
“It will always be a dream to play for the Boks [again], but it’s good that I took myself out of that [South African] environment. Here I’m just playing rugby again and I’m not overthinking everything.”
It may have been seven years since Bosch last played for the Springboks but he is only 27 and a fine performance against Erasmus’ side may just convince the head coach that the playmaker still has a Test future.
Although his call-up has not been confirmed, should he indeed feature next month, it would offer a chance for the revitalised Bosch to send a message to the Boks fans and coaches.
“I have a lot of confidence and the team (Brive) has also done well. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve been so comfortable with my own game,” he added.
Ex-Test stars already confirmed
Bosch would join some of the greats of the game in this Barbarians outfit with Test centurions Sam Cane, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray already confirmed for the clash.
“They’ve named the first three players who will be running out onto the pitch – Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Sam Cane – and we have no doubt they will name several more top-class players in the coming weeks, so this match will set the tone for us to switch into full-out competitive mode from the outset,” Erasmus said.
“I’ve worked with Peter and Conor before, and we know Sam very well – they are quality players with a lot of experience, which will serve as a great test at the start of a big season.
“We are very excited about the season ahead, and as a team, we are blessed to enjoy such passionate support from our fans throughout the country. We are busy putting the building blocks in place for the season, which starts in a little over a month against the Barbarians.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-playmaker-lined-up-to-face-off-with-rassie-erasmus-world-champions-as-barbarians-come-calling
