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Cape Town - Former Springbok flyhalf Andre Pretorius has revealed that he had a “stormy” relationship with former national coach Jake White.
The 36-year-old, who played 31 Tests for the Springboks between 2002 and 2007, has set his sights on a coaching career after retiring from rugby in 2014.
During a distinguished career, Pretorius represented the Lions, Cats, Western Force, Sharks, Toulon, Carcassonne and the Leopards.
In an interview with the Potchefstroom Herald, Pretorius spoke of his relationship with White - who coached the Springboks to the World Cup title in 2007.
Pretorius was part of that Bok squad and remembers the tournament fondly.
“The match against Fiji in the quarter-finals was the decisive one. When we won that one (37-20), we knew the World Cup was ours as a lot of top teams were already eliminated.”
When asked about his relationship with White, Pretorius responded:
“I had a stormy relationship with Jake. He never made me feel at ease. However, he did give me chances and believed in me. It did bring out the best in me and I was able to play my best rugby under him.”
Pretorius said he is ready for the challenge of being a coach, having already started at the Patria men’s hostel in Potchefstroom.
“The plan is to coach and I’ll have to start from the bottom before moving on to bigger teams. I have a lot of ideas having seen a lot of coaches over the years and I’ve also added in my own coaching methods. I believe you have to motivate players. I enjoy the personal interaction and it’s wonderful if players can buy into your game plan and follow it.”
