Flyhalf Curwin Bosch is confident of nullifying the threat of former teammates like Marius Louw when the Sharks and Lions clash in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Inside centre Louw spent almost eight years with the Sharks before joining the Lions this season, and has played a vital leadership role in a team filled with youthful energy.
The Joburgers have relied on his experience and on-field presence as a stand-in captain, while benefiting from his physicality and abrasiveness on attack and defence.
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Speaking on Tuesday in the lead-up to this weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby at Ellis Park, Bosch told media: “It’s strange seeing Marra in a different jersey; we started our careers together at the Sharks.
“He is a flippin’ great player; he’s tough, hard, and any team will get a high work rate and physicality from him. It’s just a matter of us stopping that, and minimising or taking his space away.”
#URC – @mark_keohane backs the Lions to turn on the charm at Emirates Airline Park, while Zels believes the Sharks will walk away with the spoils in their @Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash. pic.twitter.com/ZkkvrrIgDP
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) February 16, 2023
Veteran Lions forward Willem Alberts also previously played for the Sharks, between 2010 and 2015. So too, and more recently, promising scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba and young lock Emile van Heerden.
Bosch added: “We know what to expect from the Lions. They like to play an expansive brand of rugby at home when they have the altitude factor in their favour.
“They have some quality players, and obviously a couple of our old boys who will be playing against us. It’ll be a good physical and set-piece challenge for us.”
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Meanwhile, Bosch said the Sharks are ready to hit the ground running on the Highveld after a performance against the DHL Stormers that was “just not good enough”.
The Durbanites were thumped by the Capetonians at home and then went into a bye week before regrouping for this week’s URC encounter in Joburg.
“That performance was way below our standards, especially at home,” said Bosch. “We had an in-depth review of what went wrong and on the day nothing went our way.
“We made mistakes we would not usually make and a good team like the Stormers will punish you for those mistakes.
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“We just could not get going because of those errors and our discipline also let us down. We were always on the back foot because of giving away penalties and so it was very hard to get back into the game.
“Starting well is very important for us. We want to get on to the park and start fast, well, and with good execution of our game plan.
“We are keen to rectify things this weekend and training has gone very well. We know what we are capable of and we are going to hit the ground running.”
Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/www.photosport.nz/BackpagePix