
Barbarians show interest in forgotten Bok flyhalf
'I have a lot of confidence and the team has also done well. It's the first time in a long time that I've been so comfortable with my own game.'
Curwin Bosch warming up prior to the Castle Lager Springbok Showdown match between Springbok Green and Springbok Gold at DHL Newlands Stadium on October 03, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images.
The Barbarians have reached out to a Springbok flyhalf about the possibility of playing against the world champions in Cape Town on 28 June.
According to Rapport, Curwin Bosch's performances for French Pro D2 club Brive have impressed the invitational team and he could be asked to join the likes of former All Blacks captain Sam Cane and Irish veterans Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray for the match.
The 27-year-old told Rapport that moving to France from the Sharks had been an excellent career move.
'It's a new environment. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make the Springbok squad and that was my only goal,' said Bosch, who earned his only two Test caps back in 2017 and 2018. '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,' he added. '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.'
Brive finished second on the Pro D2 log this season, with 20 wins from 30 matches, and host Montauban in next weekend's semi-finals.
'I have a lot of confidence and the team has also done well. It's the first time in a long time that I've been so comfortable with my own game,' Bosch said.
This story was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
Sensational Boisson lights up French Open, Sinner reaches semi-finals
An inspired Lois Boisson delighted Roland Garros as the French world number 361 downed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday to set up a French Open semi-final against Coco Gauff, while Jannik Sinner secured a last-four meeting with either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev. World number one Sinner romped to a comprehensive 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 win over unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik. Boisson, making her debut at a Grand Slam event, powered her way to a thrilling 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory on a raucous Court Philippe Chatrier to become the first Frenchwoman to reach the semis since Marion Bartoli in 2011. The 22-year-old, who was due to play at last year's French Open but suffered a knee injury the week before the tournament, is the lowest-ranked woman to reach a major semi-final in 40 years. "It was incredible to play in front of this crowd and feel support like that," said Boisson, after hitting 24 winners past Russian sixth seed Andreeva to follow up her fourth-round win over world number three Jessica Pegula with an even more surprising victory. A dramatic first set saw Andreeva miss a set point after leading 5-3, before Boisson fought back only to see three chances of her own come and go in a marathon 12th game. But the wildcard fought off another set point in the tie-break, before taking her next opportunity, cupping her ear towards the adoring crowd in celebration. Andreeva gathered herself and quickly built a 3-0 lead in the second set, only to be left jumping up and down in anger after a missed backhand gave Boisson a much-needed hold of serve. The 18-year-old Andreeva started to crumble under the pressure, being given a warning for slamming a ball into the top tier of the stands as the atmosphere heated up under the Chatrier roof. She was roundly booed when she then argued with the umpire over a line call, and was broken later that game after another double-fault to suddenly trail 4-3. Boisson made it six consecutive games to secure a seismic victory as Andreeva, one of the pre-tournament favourites, completely unravelled. Second seed Gauff battled back from a set down to defeat fellow American, and Australian Open champion, Madison Keys in an error-strewn opening match 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1. The former US Open champion upped her level enough after dropping the first set to get through a quarter-final littered with 14 double-faults and a whopping 101 unforced errors. AFP | Dimitar DILKOFF "It means a lot, especially getting through this tough match today, it wasn't an easy match and I'm very happy to get through it," she said. Gauff, the 2022 losing finalist, will be hoping to go at least one better than when she lost to Iga Swiatek in last year's semi-final. Swiatek continues her bid for a fourth consecutive Roland Garros title in a blockbuster match with world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Thursday's other semi-final. - Sinner marches on - Sinner, who only returned from a three-month doping ban last month at the Italian Open, booked his place in a second straight Roland Garros semi-final by swatting aside 62nd-ranked Bublik. AFP | Thibaud MORITZ The top seed is bidding for a third successive Grand Slam title after following his 2024 US Open triumph by successfully defending his Australian Open crown in January. Sinner was far too strong for Bublik, playing in his first major quarter-final, hammering 31 winners in a dominant display and is yet to drop a set in the tournament. "I'm very happy with how I've arrived in the semi-finals, semi-finals in Grand Slams are very special, I'm looking forward to it," said the 23-year-old, who lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in last year's semis. The Italian is just one win from reaching his first Slam final not on hard courts. Bublik, who enjoyed the "best moment of his life" by defeating Jack Draper in the last 16, has now lost four of his five career meetings with Sinner. - Zverev eyeing Djokovic scalp - Djokovic will compete in a record 19th French Open quarter-final against last year's runner-up Zverev in the night-session match. German third seed Zverev, who lost to Alcaraz in the final 12 months ago, continues his latest bid for a maiden Grand Slam title after three runner-up finishes. The 28-year-old has won five of his 13 career matches with Djokovic, including at the Australian Open when the Serb retired injured from their semi-final. Djokovic, a three-time champion at Roland Garros, is just the second player to record 100 wins at the event after 14-time winner Rafael Nadal (112). The 38-year-old is chasing a record 25th major title.


5 hours ago
PSL transfer buzz: Long-term target ‘eager to join Kaizer Chiefs'!
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi travelled to Tanzania in a bid to lure long-term target Fesial Salum, a meeting that is said to have gone swimmingly for the former Young Africans manager. 'Nabi reportedly held a crucial meeting with Feisal Salum during his visit. This meeting confirms Nabi's continued keen interest in the dynamic midfielder, a player he has long admired,' a source said. 'Previous attempts to secure Salum's services hit a snag due to a significant disparity in valuation between the clubs involved. However, the recent meeting appears to have breathed new life into the potential transfer. ' 'Crucially, sources close to the player confirm he is highly receptive to the project and is eager to join Kaizer Chiefs next season.'. According to reports, Kaizer Chiefs are hoping to sign Mamelodi Sundowns striker Etiosa Ighodaro in the second time of asking. 'Yes, it's true. Chiefs are believed to have enquired about Mamelodi Sundowns striker Etiosa Ighodaro,' a SoccerLaduma source revealed 'You know the thing is the same people who scouted him from Nigeria for Sundowns are the same who have enquired about him for Kaizer Chiefs.' 'Actually it's not the first time they have enquired about him. They tried before when he was on loan at Chippa United but Sundowns sent him on loan at SuperSport United. But now they are apparently looking at the possibility of Sundowns letting him go and they can pounce on him.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Cameron Hanekom shines in URC awards as South African players dominate Elite XV Team of the Season
The accolades keep rolling in for Bulls No 8, Cameron Hanekom, after a brilliant season. He was named in the URC Elite XV on Wednesday and scooped the Next-Gen Player award. Image: BackpagePix South African players continue to dominate this season's United Rugby Championship (URC) awards with no less than seven named in the URC Team of the Season on Wednesday. Bulls No 8 Cameron Hanekom, also named as Next-Gen Player of the Season, alongside teammates props Wilco Louw and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Stormers' flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and the Sharks' Andre Esterhuizen made it into the Elite XV of the tournament. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The Bulls, playing in a consecutive semi-final on Saturday, and Munster lead the race with three players each in the side, while Leinster and the Scarlets follow with two. Double World Cup-winning Springbok, RG Snyman, is one of the Leinster players, and Bok hopeful, hooker Marnus van der Merwe, represents the Scarlets. Hanekom, nominated for the SA URC Player of the Season award as well, has set the rugby field alight since his breakthrough last season and continued his fine form for the Bulls, despite some niggling injuries. Louw, nominated as SA URC Player of the Season, and Wessels have been the chief destroyers in the scrum for the Bulls. Feinberg-Mngomezulu was a fresh breeze in the competition and has entertained supporters in the Stormers' flyhalf jersey after taking over from the injured Manie Libbok. While an injury also impacted a part of his season, Esterhuizen has been a consistent performer in the backline of the Sharks throughout the season. With two awards behind his name, Hanekom will look to make it a third for the vital SA Player when he goes up against Louw and Feinberg-Mngomezulu for it. Another Stormers star of the past season received a URC accolade with lock Ruben van Heerden named as the Tackle Machine award winner. This award is given to the player who boasts the best tackle success rate among those who have attempted 150 or more tackles over the course of the season. ⚡️ @TheStormers' Ruben van Heerden was tackling anything that moved this season 💥 1️⃣7️⃣1️⃣ Tackles 9️⃣7️⃣.7️⃣% Accuracy#URC | #URCAwards — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 3, 2025