VIDEO: Lions reap the rewards after flank's 'leap of faith'

SPOTLIGHT: Lions flank JC Pretorius says getting out of his comfort zone has been key to his growth on the field

The 26-year-old was given his first United Rugby Championship start of the season against Edinburgh at Ellis Park last weekend and he was one of the stars in a 55-21 win.

He was devastating with ball in hand and terrorised the Scottish side at the breakdowns as well.

It’s almost been two years since Pretorius made the switch from Sevens to the XV-man format and time and time again he has proven that can cut it amongst the best.

Ahead of the Lions’ three-match URC tour, assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys was asked for his opinion on Pretorius’ growth in the team.

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“I don’t need to get him big-headed now. I don’t know who picks the man of the match, but he is bribing them, ” Redelinghuys joked.

“You guys are seeing him steal balls on the ground, making massive yards on the edges and finishing tries and assisting tries for us.

“But what you guys don’t see is the team man he is, the character he is within the team and the toughness he brings to the environment. It makes a massive difference for us.

“Don’t blow too much smoke up his a**e, but he brings a massive presence to the pack.

“We were watching Under-21 games when he was still at the Bulls and we said this guy really plays the game the way we want to play.

“He had to win a couple of Sevens tournaments and then when we got him here, we were really excited.

“The way he has grown into XVs now, we are excited about that and it is great to see guys like him make the step up.”

Pretorius said the journey hasn’t been easy since he left the BlitzBoks, but he is embracing each challenge as it comes.

“When I came from Sevens, I knew it was going to be a leap of faith for me,” he said. “I hadn’t played XVs in three years.

“When I arrived [at the Lions], everyone was waiting for me with open arms, and I learned a lot from Jaco Kriel as well.

“There were a lot of challenges for me – the physical aspect of the game and sizing up a little bit. I kept my head down and just kept on working harder and harder in every session.”

Pretorius added: “I left Sevens because I achieved everything I could in every single tournament – the Olympics, World Series and the Commonwealth Games.

“I also felt that if I stepped out, I could give an up-and-coming player a chance to play as well.

“Like I said. I had to take that leap of faith, and I always try to go outside of my comfort zone.

“Whenever you are in your comfort zone, you never grow.”

@rugby365com