SAREL Pretorius is ready to show why the NSW Waratahs courted him at Scully Park tonight.
The South African will wear Waratahs blue for the first time when they take on Samoa A in the Woodleys-Volvo
Challenge.
He’ll run out after being named to partner Berrick Barnes in the halves for the first two 30-minute quarters.
The talented half-back is the Waratahs’ senior foreign player and his arrival from the Cheetahs has attracted some hype – with good reason.
He was the equal-leading tryscorer in the Super 15 competition last season and, on the back of that, named the South African Super Rugby player of the year.
It was ironically helping the Cheetahs defeat the Waratahs last season that he came to their attention and, fortunately for them, the 26-year old jumped at the chance to come out to Australia and play.
“I always wanted to go overseas and play rugby and still play Super Rugby,” he said.
The Waratahs could offer him that.
“I’m looking forward to the new season,” he said.
“It’s been a long pre-
season.”
He has been out here for about four months and has enjoyed his time so far.
“It’s nice to meet new people and there’s a great vibe among the players,” he said.
“It’s a great environment to play in.”
The pre-season has been good to get to know his new team-mates including Barnes.
Their potential combination is one that has Waratahs fans excited and Pretorius too is looking forward to playing with the Wallabies back.
“He’s got a lot of experience behind him,” he said.
He isn’t short on the experience front either, playing three Super seasons with the Cheetahs for 38 Super caps and being selected in the Springboks 50-man pre-World Cup squad.
There are plenty of challengers though for the nine jersey and Pretorius knows he’ll have to continually perform.
That’s inherent in the goals he’s set himself for the season.
“Just to do my best each game and improve my weaknesses,” he said.
He said there were a couple of areas of his game he’d particularly worked on over the break and alluded to his kicking game as one of those.
Waratahs coach Michael Foley is another keen to see how he and Barnes work as a halves pairing.
Foley has stepped up from forwards coach to head coach this season and has been pretty impressed with what he’s seen from his players so far.
He’s hoping that will translate on to the field tonight.
“Pretty simply what we’ve practised in the pre-season I’d like to see out there,” Foley said.
He said they hadn’t spent a lot of time researching their opposition but welcomed the challenge that will provide.
“We’ll have to cope with some things we haven’t planned for,” he said.
It’s the first of two trial games the Waratahs will play against Pacfic Island opposition and will offer a good chance to test a few combinations and moves out.
“Pre-season is a period of the year when you’re not challenged by the results of games,” Foley said.
He said it had been good to get out to the country.
The curtain raiser to tonight’s game will be a sevens tournament between Pirates, Tamworth, Gunnedah and the Armidale Blues. It kicks off at 5pm.
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