The new order of South African rugby is safely represented in Saturday’s Test against France here in the shape of Andre Pretorius.
The 24-year-old’s qualities such as creativity, verve and versatility are firmly wedded to the traditional fighting spirit for which the South African game is renowned.
Pretorius only gained his first cap against Wales in June and has made seven appearances since. He admits he is taken aback by the speed of his ascension.
”I never thought it would all happen so quickly, but I’m so happy it has,” the Cats back confessed.
Praise for Pretorious comes thick and fast, with his experienced teammate James Dalton describing him as the finished article.
”He’s a player for the future – keep your eye on him. There’s very little he has to change, in fact nothing. He’s a complete player,” he said.
Scrum half Neil De Kock belongs to the same generation as Pretorious, and he singled out his fellow Bok’s ability to run and kick well and retain his cool under pressure — a quality he will surely need at the Velodrome stadium on Saturday.
His Springbok tally so far is two tries and 94 points — but his ‘sang froid’ has been known to desert him on the odd occasion, as when he lost the ball playing for Cats in a Tri Nations tie, resulting in a try for rivals Stormers.
His reaction to that mistake is typical. ”With the fast pace of the game, it’s not possible not to make
mistakes. You’ve just got to correct them,” he points out.
”You must adapt to play in international rugby and in
professionnal sport. You must adapt to any circumstances.”
Pretorius made his rugby bow at the age of nine for his home city club in Johannesburg, going on to play sevens in which he was named best young player of last year.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing though for the business studies student as he has twice undergone surgery on a problem knee — a knee some suggest could turn out to be a hindrance to his career.
He faces stiff competition from a quality generation of fresh players which includes Brent Russell, Butch James, Werner Greef and Jaco van der Westhuyzen.
”It’s good for rugby, it’s good for me. It brings out the best in you,” reflected Pretorius, who is hoping to advertise his skills further to a European audience in the coming weeks. – Sapa