Pretorius jetting off to France
Springbok and Leopards flyhalf Andre Pretorius will be heading off to France after signing a two-year contract with ProD2 club Carcassonne.
The 34-year old Pretorius has been at the Leopards since 2012 and André May, president of the Leopards, mentioned the important role in which the coaches – Leon Boschoff and Jorrie Muller – played in getting the optimum out of Pretorius during his time in Potchefstroom.
"The two coaches must take a lot of credit for the manner in which they managed André and how they got the most out of him as a player. That must been seen as the reason why he was realtively injury free whilst at the Leopards," May said.
The president mentioned that releasing Pretorius from his contract was not a matter taken lightly.
"We thought about it seriously because he is our most exciting asset.
"We could have kept him in his contract but it is about keeping André's best interests in mind not only as a player but also as a person," May added.
Pretorius has had a massive influence on the Leopards as a union, as a player and a mentor.
"André has had a massive impact in the last two seasons, not only on the field, but also in his professional approach to mentoring the younger players in the side," May said.
Pretorius made his Springbok debut against Wales in 2002 at the age of just 23 and played his last game for the national side in 2007 against Wales as well.
He represented South Africa in 31 Tests and was a member of the South African Sevens team in 2001 and was nominated as South African Player of the Year in 2002.
