Durban - Sharks coach Sean Everitt has given flyhalf Curwin Bosch his firm backing for Saturday's crucial United Rugby Championship match against Edinburgh at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
Bosch has had a rollercoaster season and while he has all the talent in the world, he has had some iffy performances in the No 10 jersey as he rebuilds his confidence after a period in the wilderness.
For atime, Boeta Chamberlain was the man in possession in the URC for the Sharks but he is now on the bench and for the fourth match in a row Bosch is backed to steer the Sharks' ship.
The third flyhalf in the squad, Tito Bonelli is confined to the Currie Cup team where he had an unfortunate game on Wednesday night against the Cheetahs.
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“Curwin was out for quite a while but now he is having a run of starts,” Everitt said after naming his team to play the Scots, who are a position above the Sharks on the log, in fifth place.
“We are happy with Curwin and it is important that he performs on Saturday night. He showed good signs last week (against Zebre) – he distributed well and had a 100 percent tackle completion.”
Bosch has played a lot of rugby at fullback and with Aphelele Fassi injured, there would have been the temptation to move Bosch to 15 and give Chamberlain another chance at 10 but Everitt said that with Anthony Volmink timeously back from injury, the selection of the 10 and 15 positions was straightforward.
“We discussed moving Curwin to 15, but we feel he is getting better each week at 10, and at the same time Volimink offers a lot,” Everitt said.
“Anthony has been training for a while, and while it would have been ideal for him to get a Currie Cup game under the belt, he has had enough game time at training, and every time he has worn a Sharks jersey he has played well. He was very good on tour against the Ospreys and we are fortunate to have a player of his calibre covering for Fassi.”
A notable absence in the Sharks backline is Sbu Nkosi. The Springbok right wing is the subject of an as-yet unresolved tug-of-war between the Sharks and the Bulls and in the meantime, he has not been playing.
“Sbu is not injured. He had a bout of gastroenteritis and he has not recovered from that. When he does, he will be available for selection. As far as his future is concerned, there is nothing concrete and as (Sharks CEO) Ed Coetzee has mentioned, negotiations are still underway.”
In good news for the Sharks, Springbok loosehead Ox Nche has recovered from injury and against Edinburgh will resume his all-Bok front row partnership with Bongi Mbonambi and Thomas du Toit.
Sharks team: 15 Anthony Volmink, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Gerbrandt Grobler, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Khuta Mchunu, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 James Venter, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.
IOL Sport