Recently-retired flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis has hailed the kicking game of Sharks star Curwin Bosch, who he believes can push for a place in the Springbok side.
Catrakilis announced he would be retiring from rugby last week, and in a wide-ranging interview told Sport24 that he felt Bosch could add competition to the flyhalf competition at national level.
‘Pollard still has the inside lane for the Springboks because he finished the World Cup as the incumbent flyhalf. However, I foresee a lot of competition at flyhalf over the next few years. Curwin Bosch had a brilliant last season and for me is the best kicker in South Africa, especially out of hand.
‘In the past, he has been criticised for his defence but a flyhalf’s job is not really to defend. In tight games, you want a No 10 who can control the game, especially with his boot. Bosch still has quite a bit to learn when it comes to creating for others and releasing the line,’ Catrakilis said.
He added: ‘With time he will learn that because he hasn’t played much at flyhalf. I think he has all the skills to emulate the likes of Romain Ntamack, Owen Farrell and Richie Mo’unga, who I rate as the best flyhalves in the game today.
‘With a little more practice and understanding of what he needs to focus on before kicks, I believe Bosch can easily become an 85-90% kicker. It’s not one size fits all when it comes to kicking as everyone has their own style.
‘As a kicker, it’s very important to improve and not just maintain. Once you figure out what you need to work on, kicking becomes pretty simple. Once Bosch achieves that, it’s going to be very difficult to keep him away from the Springbok flyhalf berth.’
