Pretorius coup a carrot for O'Connor

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 20, 2009

Rupert Guinness

WESTERN FORCE coach John Mitchell makes no secret of the value he places in keeping teenage Wallabies sensation James O'Connor on board at the Perth Super 14 side next year.Fortunately for Mitchell, the odds of O'Connor remaining at the Force have firmed with the decision of former Springboks five-eighth Andre Pretorius to join them for next year.However, until O'Connor's fate is confirmed and as he continues to bedazzle onlookers while wearing the Wallabies green and gold strip, Mitchell has one warning to those he has won over.That is to not expect too much from O'Connor so early in his potentially great Wallabies career.O'Connor is still expected to play against Italy at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne tonight, despite concerns he might not after missing Thursday morning's training run with a stomach bug."He has a lot left in him ... both on and off the field," Mitchell said of O'Connor. "There is a high amount of development left in James. He is only playing against Italy at the moment."There are the big guns to come up yet the Tri Nations and a grand slam tour. He has to manage all that yet."Before yesterday's announcement that Pretorius would play for the Force from next year, Mitchell said "we are all pretty positive" when asked about the chances of O'Connor re-signing.Having Pretorius playing inside him will certainly go a long way to reassuring O'Connor that there might life left in a Force back line without Matt Giteau, who will play with the Brumbies next year.Asked about a time frame for O'Connor's decision, Mitchell said, "He is not far away."Pretorius is a classy and experienced name for the Force to have on the books as their marquee import player in place of prop Ben Castle, who will continue his career in Wales.Pretorius, 30, a member of the 2007 World Cup-winning Springboks, will come to Perth from the Johannesburg Lions, where he has played for the past eight years of a total of 11.He has a sharp boot and is a prolific points scorer, having amassed almost 650 points in Super rugby. He has also scored 171 points for the Springboks from his 31 Tests since his first in 2002."Andre has a complete range of skills but he also possess a lot of leadership qualities and is highly regarded in South African rugby for the quality of person he is off the field," WA Rugby general manager Mitch Hardy said."He's a game breaker with significant international experience, and he can control a game, which is exactly what we were looking for in a No.10."Pretorius said leaving the Lions after spending so long with the side made his decision harder."My loyalty has always been with the Lions. The 11 years I spent here has been tremendous, and they assisted me in becoming a Springbok," he said.Pretorius will move to Perth after the Currie Cup in October.