Season already over for Pretorius
February 05 2010
Western Force have been dealt a massive blow on the eve of the Super 14 season with marquee player Andre Pretorius ruled out for the entire campaign.
Pretorius, who signed a one-year deal with the club, suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday's training session and scans yesterday showed the South African World Cup-winner had torn his left hamstring from the bone.
The injury will require surgical reattachment and approximately three months on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old was understandably shattered, but will remain in Perth to lend his support to the team.
"I've gone to work with the boys for so long now and it has been my best pre-season in many years. I'm really disappointed that I won't be able to have the opportunity to represent the Western Force and play rugby with the new mates that I have made here," Pretorius said.
"My body was in the best condition it has been in a long time and after watching the video footage of the training session and seeing when the injury occurred it didn't look like much at all. The physios at the club said it was a just a freakish type of injury.
"I guess the only good thing from a personal point of view is that the Force has the best hamstring rehab program that I have ever worked with.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow after putting in all the hard yards and committing myself to a great bunch of guys at the club. I still want to remain involved and offer any assistance I can to help make this a successful season for the Force."
Coach John Mitchell expressed his disappointment at losing a player of Pretorius' quality but praised the work ethic and commitment the South African had brought to the club throughout the pre-season.
"It is really unlucky for Andre, I feel gutted for him," Mitchell said.
"From a playing perspective we now have to look at what we've got and move forward without him, that's just part of rugby."
The Force will now assess their options in relation to a replacement player, with the ARU only permitting one marquee player per season.