Force's marquee man ready for hot reception
Force's marquee man ready for hot reception
NICK TAYLOR, The West Australian January 18, 2010, 4:27 pm
http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/100118/a_...y1-15l87db.jpg
Related Links
Western Force marquee player Andre Pretorius is expecting a hot welcome of a different kind to the one he is experiencing in Perth when he returns to his native South Africa this week for the club's trial matches.
The 31-Test capped Springbok fly-half is expected to play in the second of his new club's trials against the Sharks in Cape Town next Tuesday. They play their first match against the Stormers on Saturday.
But pulling on the Force jumper in South Africa will be a new feeling to that of his 69 appearances with the Lions in Johannesburg.
On the eve of the club's departure for SA he said today: "It will be quite strange going back and playing for another country's franchise as opposed to being with a local franchise for 11 years."
He said he had no idea what kind of reception he would receive at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
"I've no idea, honestly. I've thought about it and I honestly have no idea," he said.
"I'm guessing it will be quite warm, so to speak, but it will be strange and it will be something I never thought I'd experience.
"I know I've made the right decision (moving to Perth).
"It's quite refreshing, as opposed to being in Johannesburg, you do slip under the radar a bit more here but the lifestyle change has been quite significant for me, for the better.
"I never got to go the beach after training or play nine holes after training so it's been quite nice.'
Pretorius will be in the Force squad of 28 that leaves for SA tomorrow with a warning from coach John Mitchell ringing in their ears - no player is guaranteed a spot in the new look Super 14 side.
"Everything's up for grabs. There's no pre-meditation on who will start in the competition," Mitchell said.
"Performance will reveal, dictate, who that No.1 team is.
"We find out after the trial period who the top 22 are. Ultimately performance will be critical during this phase.
"We want every new player to be under no illusions about how to manage the travel in this competition and understand what will be required to meet the right criteria for performance."
Mitchell has picked two different teams for the trials from the squad but he said nothing should be read into the selections.
He said his team still had "a hell of a lot of work to do" but the side for the third trial against the Queensland Reds at ME Bank Stadium on February 5 would be pretty close to the run-on side for the season opener against the Brumbies a week later.
"Clearly you don't want to give away too much before you go into the Brumbies so we certainly won't be playing every player."
He said there had been "significant growth" in terms of building plays and understanding the defensive system he has introduced this season.
"Clearly the trials will be a chance for us to test those systems and structures, make adjustments and review aspects of play so by the time we get to competition we're pretty settled on what we want to do," he said.
"Everyone's playing in the positions that they will cover in the competition. It's quite settling for the guys to know who they're playing with.
"It builds familiarisation, it builds combinations and that's only fair to the players that they play in the positions that we'll look like to play them going into the competition.
"Not only does it allows us to determine who the best 22 going into the competition are but it also builds our depth in each of the positions.
"This is a new team with refreshed ideas, goals and we know where we want to go and we are very collective in that approach.
"It's enjoyable to work with a group that's extremely enthusiastic, that are open to learning and has got a tremendous attitude.
"Time will tell. A great group is determined by the way that it handles pressure and how it handles the competition because not everything goes you way.
"It's all just around the corner but I think the ingredients are there and I really do hope they get some reward."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...hot-reception/
