It came as truly no surprise this past weekend that upon his return to the United Rugby Championship, JC Pretorius was honoured as the Player of the Match in his first game of the new season in the Lions’ stellar victory over Edinburgh.
Indeed, such has become the impact and effectiveness of the openside flank that predicting such success for the 26-year-old is easy.
Similitude to the Springboks’ Kwagga Smith abound, but the truth is that such comparisons are becoming increasingly unfair to Pretorius.
For, although they might be of the same mould, the latter is developing into a special and unique force in his own right.
Lions assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys must never change ...
— Morgan Bolton (@FreemanZAR) October 9, 2024
Here the former Springbok prop gives his thoughts on the man next to him, JC Pretorius ...
It's chef's kiss@IOLsport @TheStar_news @URCOfficial pic.twitter.com/iWymUpePMq
JC Pretorius delivered a standout Player of the Match performance against Edinburgh last Saturday in the @URCOfficial_RSA ! 🔥👏
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) October 7, 2024
Show him some love ⬇️#LIOvEDI #ForOurCity@vodacom #URC | #HitsDifferent#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/BKu6XlB0Yw
Of course, both players share commonalities – they went to the same high school in Middelberg, they both were highly successful in landmark sevens runs, they both started their XVs careers at the Lions and they have similar playing styles.
Pretorius, though, is quickly stepping out of the shadow of Smith, developing his own brand of physicality and athleticism to suit his game.
“Growing up and knowing Kwagga, and also being nicknamed after him, was a big blessing for me,” Pretorius said earlier this week.
“But I will never be Kwagga, and Kwagga could never be me. His role within the Boks is amazing, and I can only look up to him.”
Now in his third season with the Joburgers, it can easily be predicted that this could quite possibly – and in all probability – be Pretorius’ breakout year at URC level, not that his debut season was anything to scoff at.
“I had to take this leap of faith. I had to go outside my comfort zone. Whenever you are in your comfort zone, that is when you cannot grow.”
Indeed, in the previous campaign, Pretorius racked up the third-most turnovers in the tournament with 17 in 731 minutes of play.
He made 64 carries, 117 tackles with a success rate of 91%, gained 388m, beat 23 defenders and made 12 clean breaks.
Back then, he was only refamiliarising himself with the 15-man code.
In the recent 55-21 victory over Edinburgh, he started compiling his new numbers with verve, winning two turnovers, making nine carries, 15 tackles with a 94% success rate, 46m gained, four defenders beaten and two clean breaks.
Those are all very impressive numbers, but as Lions assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys will tell you, while jokingly attempting not to “blow too much smoke up his ar*e,” it is not what makes Pretorius special.
“You are seeing him stealing balls on the ground,” said the former Bok prop, “seeing him making massive yards on the edges, and finishing and assisting in tries. We loved that, and it is great to have him a part of that.
“The things you don’t see is the team man he is. The character he is within the team in getting the guys up, and the toughness he brings. That makes a massive difference for us…
“We were watching his Under-21 games when he was still at the Bulls, he wasn’t as fris (staunch) as he is now, but he was playing there, and we were like, ‘s**t, this guy really plays the way we like to play’.”
Pretorius and Co left for Europe yesterday, where the Lions will begin their URC tour against Dragons on Sunday at Rodney Parade (3.30pm kick-off).
He made the switch from sevens to XVs to challenge himself, and like his mentor Jaco Kriel – no doubt – reach the heights of slipping on a Bok jersey some day.
Predicting such a development is a bit more tricky, but if he continues to mature in his game in the coming weeks and months, he could become a consistent discussion point for higher honours.
How the leaderboard is shaping up after Round 3 👀
Where on the ladder is your team? 💪#BKTURC #URC pic.twitter.com/PNDRhRk5YS
It will be a challenging endeavour, especially as the Boks are stacked in the loose-forward department, but then Pretorius has never shied away from such confrontations.
“The reason I left the sevens is because I achieved everything I could,” Pretorius explained.
“I played in every single tournament, the Olympics, the World Series and the Commonwealth (Games). I also felt that if I step aside, I could give a young up-and-coming player a chance as well.
“I had to take this leap of faith. I had to go outside my comfort zone. Whenever you are in your comfort zone, that is when you cannot grow.”