Curwin Bosch believes his two-year stint in France has helped him rediscover the freedom that made him one of South Africa’s brightest young rugby talents, and now the new Vodacom Bulls flyhalf is eager to test himself against the All Blacks.
Bosch, who is expected to start at No 10 in Saturday’s highly anticipated clash in Pretoria, says his time with Brive provided the mental reset he needed after spending the majority of his professional career with the Sharks.
“It’s amazing to be back in South Africa,” said Bosch.
“The two seasons I spent in France were really good for me, but there’s just no place like home. Even Pretoria, which is somewhere I’d never lived before, just feels different. It feels like home.”
The 29-year-old admitted the move overseas came at exactly the right time in his career.
“The biggest part of it was the mental break,” he said. “It was so good for me mentally to spend a bit of time in France and just get the shackles off and get back to doing what I do best, and that’s play rugby.
“There were no sideshows and no distractions. I could just focus on playing good rugby.”
Bosch feels the experience helped him reconnect with the instinctive style that first made him a star.
“I just felt a lot more free,” he said. “The last couple of seasons I spent in South Africa, I felt boxed a little bit.
“That time in France freed me up. It took me back to how you play rugby at school. You see the space, and you play the space. That’s when I’m at my best.”
Now at the Vodacom Bulls, Bosch is focused on combining that freedom with the experience he has gained.
“I’m older and more experienced now,” he said. “I’m looking forward to testing myself again against the best teams in the world.
“I just want to be the best version of myself on the rugby field. The freedom and the knowledge I’ve gained over the last two years can only be beneficial to the Vodacom Bulls.”
A possible first meeting with the All Blacks has added extra excitement.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Bosch said. “The last time the Vodacom Bulls played them was before I was born.
“It’s probably an opportunity of a lifetime to test yourself against the second-best team in the world.”
Despite being away from the Springbok conversation for some time, Bosch insists his international ambitions remain as strong as ever.
“One hundred per cent,” he said. “The day those ambitions go away, I’ll stop playing rugby.
“It doesn’t really matter what you say. It’s what you produce on the field. Those actions will speak for everything else.”
For now, his focus is on the challenge immediately ahead.
“I’m a rugby player,” he said with a smile. “I’ll always prefer playing flyhalf. Getting the ball into my hands and running the show, that’s when I’m at my best.”
On Saturday, against the All Blacks, Bosch will get the perfect stage to prove it.