Curwin Bosch surely back in Bok contention after one of the displays of the year
French duo Thomas Ramos and Antoine Dupont were playing rugby from another planet on Saturday as Toulouse beat the Sharks 54-20 in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter final.
While the fullback and scrum-half seemed to be racking up an inordinate number of tries and assists, the performance of their opposing fly-half, Curwin Bosch, has been overlooked slightly. While his side came off second best at the Stade Ernest Wallon, the 25-year-old produced some seriously impressive stats.
The two-cap Springbok made the most carries of the game with 14, beating five defenders in the process, which was the best for a Sharks player. He also ran 225 metres, which is a season best for any player. Against one of, if not the strongest team in the tournament, it was a display that caught the eye of many spectators.
Of course, his standout moment of the match was the try he created from deep for halfback partner Grant Williams in the first half to give the visitors a 10-3 lead. It was a try that required vision, footwork and pace from the No10 and will surely go down as one of the tries of the season.
Take a look at the try:
No stopping Grant Williams as Curwin Bosch helps create a sensational Cell C Sharks try 🔥#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/3s1hd8pcir
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) April 8, 2023
Bosch has been out of the Springboks picture for a while now due to form and injuries, but this was a display that surely made Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus take note. The Boks have struggled to find a suitable replacement for Handre Pollard, who has had his injury troubles himself, and Bosch has thrown his hat in the ring with a game like that. There isn’t exactly long to storm back into Test contention with the World Cup later this year, but it was an impressive game nevertheless.
The Sharks will now be seeking to bounce back this Friday as they return to the United Rugby Championship to face Benetton at Kings Park.
