The 33-year-old scrum half has been through pre-season campaigns in South Africa with the Cheetahs, Australia with the Waratahs and Wales with the Dragons, but he gives Bernard Jackman the vote as the toughest task master.
“We’ve faced some very good opposition already and it has definitely been the toughest pre-season I have ever had in my career. I had some pretty tough ones in Super Rugby, but this was definitely the hardest by far,” admitted the former Emerging Springbok.
“Bernard Jackman wants us to be the fittest team in the league and he’s been pretty clear on that. We’ve had some brutal sessions which showed he means business!
“The tougher the games, the better for us, because it will test our depth. That what is going to happen over the course of the season.
“We want to create a winning culture here and improve on last season. The Champions Cup is one of our goals and there’s a new energy to the squad this year.
“It’s a really exciting time to be at the Dragons – there’s a buzz around the place and everyone is enjoying coming to work. We’re just can’t wait for the season to season start now.”
Pretorius was a second half replacement in the 50-24 defeat against English champions Exeter Chiefs last weekend, but has been relishing the challenge of tackling Montpellier, Northampton Saints, the Chiefs and finally Glasgow Warriors on Friday. That should get them ready to host Leinster on the opening day of the PRO14 season at Rodney Parade.
As well as looking forward to the big kick-off in the newly expanded PRO14, Pretorius can’t wait to lock horns with the two South African newcomers, the Southern Kings and the Cheetahs. Born in Bloemfontein, he enjoyed two spells at the Cheetahs before finally heading to Europe.
And he believes the two former Super Rugby franchises will be ready to turn up the heat in the tournament once they find their feet.
“I’ve had a few chats with some of the boys who are still at the Cheetahs. I stay in touch with the guys there and they’ve been saying they’re going to smoke me in the contact area,” said Pretorius, who had two spells at the Bloemfontein-based outfit between 2008-11 and 2013-15 prior to heading to Rodney Parade.
“We’ve had a bit of a laugh and joke about that, but on a serious note the Cheetahs and Kings will bring a breath of fresh air to the northern hemisphere competition. It’s good for South African rugby and I think they will provide the teams here with a very different challenge.
“The Cheetahs are still playing Currie Cup rugby. They won that competition last year and I think they’ll be a dangerous opposition.
“They like to throw the ball around and one thing the South African teams will have in their favour is the weather. Between December and March temperatures are about 35 to 36 degrees there – it’s sweltering.
“The northern hemisphere sides are going to struggle with that, but it also means they are going to get a shock when they come to Wales, Ireland and Scotland. I guess it works both ways and wherever each team plays, they’ll have to adapt quickly.
“I’m excited to face the Cheetahs because they’re expansive and are a really good side at home. Not many teams beat them there and they’ll be tough opposition.”
