Beleaguered Cell C Sharks coach Sean Everitt has defended his retention of Curwin Bosch as his starting flyhalf for Friday night’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship meeting with the Dragons by pointing to the player’s kicking stats.
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“There is a lot of talk about Curwin at this stage but what we need to be is factual,” said Everitt after naming a team that includes five changes from the side that lost 21-5 to Edinburgh but which includes the player most would have seen as the main contributor to the defeat.
“His kicking has been really good for us up until last week. Against Zebre, he kicked six out of six. He controlled the game really well and he attacked well. Last weekend, he missed two touch kicks and two kicks at goal but if you look at his kicking statistics, they are the best we have.”
That final comment - "the best we have" - probably perfectly sums up the real problem Everitt is dealing with, which is the recruitment issue that has started to become obvious enough recently to start becoming a talking point in Durban rugby circles.
The best way to interpret Bosch’s retention in the No 10 jersey, is that Everitt has little or no faith in the other flyhalves that are under contract to the Durban franchise, or he feels they’ve lost confidence.
After Bosch’s poor performance in the loss to Edinburgh last week, one which even Everitt criticised in his own indirect way, it seemed inevitable that Boeta Chamberlain would be backed for a game that has now become crucial to the Sharks’ chances of making the top eight and challenging for the South African Shield.
Everitt says the five changes, which include Siya Kolisi moving to the bench and Thomas du Toit taking over the leadership, are not because of last week’s defeat but because after playing four games in a row, those players might be getting a bit jaded.
Bosch has also played several games in a row now so it is quite revealing that Everitt is not at least giving the alternative pivot a chance to show what he can do.
Everitt either reckons Chamberlain isn’t up to the level Bosch is, or that his confidence has been so badly eroded in recent times that he’s difficult to back.
After playing as the flyhalf in the overseas games that started the Sharks’ URC campaign and in the first few derbies, Chamberlain has been either left out of the squad completely or he has played off the bench.
In the two most recent games the Sharks have played, Chamberlain came on as a fullback replacement, with Bosch continuing at flyhalf.
KOLISI'S TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT
Argentine flyhalf Tito Bonilla has been shown up at both URC and Currie Cup level in recent weeks, so if Everitt is struggling to get his own confidence in Chamberlain up, it is easy to sympathise with him if he feels Bosch is his best option.
As every good coach should, Everitt must publicly back Bosch when he is put on the spot by the questioning at a press conference, and that is what he did on Wednesday.
But as someone who was a fine centre in his playing days and played for a club where he was outside the flyhalf who pioneered legendary Natal coach Ian McIntosh’s gainline approach, Henry Coxwell, Everitt must know better than anyone that while Bosch’s kicking stats are good, the 24-year-old’s penchant for playing from the pocket compromises other aspects of the Sharks’ game.
Like he did against Zebre two weeks ago, Everitt is obviously hoping that the slight step down in the level of opposition this week will give Bosch an opportunity to come good.
Which to be fair he did do in the second half against Zebre once the opposition had rolled over and there was a steady stream of front foot ball to play with and little in the way of defence.
Bosch did get a steady stream of front foot ball against Edinburgh, but they were defensively better and tactically more astute than Zebre were and the flyhalf turned in an error-ridden performance that cost his team the game.
Apart from the retention of Bosch, the other interesting aspect of Friday night’s game will be what James Venter can bring as Kolisi’s at this point temporary replacement in the No 6 jersey.
Venter is in the mould of the fetching specialist openside flank that until Kolisi arrived in Durban, Everitt was saying he would never send a Sharks team onto the field without.
When you have the Springbok captain on your books you don’t drop him, and with Lukhanyo Am away in Japan, Kolisi is the regular team leader.
But if Venter brings a different dynamic to the Sharks effort on Friday night it could be tempting for Everitt to consider a different jersey number for Kolisi.
He did play a couple of games in his final season for the Stormers at No 8 and also has the physical attributes of a blindside flank.
Cell C Sharks team:Anthony Volmink, Werner Kok, Ben Tapuai, Jeremy Ward, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi, Jeandre Labuschagne, James Venter, Gerbrandt Grobler, Le Roux Roets, Thomas du Toit (captain), Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche.
Replacements:Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Khutha Mchunu, Reniel Hugo, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams, Boeta Chamberlain.