Mark Pretorius (rugby union)

Mark Pretorius

Personal information
Born	9 June 1992 Nelspruit, South Africa
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	102 kg (16 st 1 lb)
School(s) attended	Hoërskool Nelspruit
Club information
Playing position	Hooker
Current club	SWD Eagles
Youth career
2008–10	Pumas
2011–13	Golden Lions
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
2014	UJ	1	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Pts)^†
2013–15	Golden Lions	12	(5)
2014–15	Lions	2	(0)
2016–	SWD Eagles	0	(0)
Representative team(s)^‡
2012	S.A. Under-20	4	(5)
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 7 December 2015. † Appearances (Points). ‡ Representative team caps and points correct as of 18 May 2014.

Mark Pretorius (born 9 June 1992 in Nelspruit) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the SWD Eagles.^[1] His regular position is hooker.

Career

Youth and Varsity rugby

Pretorius appeared for the Pumas at several youth tournaments, including the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2008 and the Under-18 Craven Week tournament in both 2009 and 2010.

He then moved to Johannesburg-based side the Golden Lions in 2011, where he participated in the 2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship tournament. He also represented them at Under-21 level in 2012 and 2013.

He also made one appearance for UJ in the 2014 Varsity Cup, against UFS Shimlas in Bloemfontein.^[2]

Senior career

Golden Lions / Lions

His senior debut came for the Golden Lions in the 2013 Vodacom Cup competition, coming on as a second-half substitute in the Golden Lions' all-time record victory, a 161–3 win over the Limpopo Blue Bulls.^[3]

Two more Vodacom Cup appearances followed in 2014, before injuries to Robbie Coetzee and Malcolm Marx led to Pretorius' inclusion on the bench for their 2014 Super Rugby match against the Reds,^[4] with Pretorius appearing in the 59th minute for his Super Rugby debut.^[5]

SWD Eagles

After 3 seasons in Johannesburg, Pretorius moved to George to join the SWD Eagles prior to the 2016 season.^[6]

Representative rugby

2012 IRB Junior World Championship

In 2012, he was selected in the S.A. Under-20 squad for their victorious 2012 IRB Junior World Championship campaign. In the group stages, he started in their opening match against Ireland,^[7] he was an unused substitute against Italy^[8] and came on during their match against England.^[9] He was promoted to the starting line-up for the semi-final match against Argentina and responded by scoring a 36th minute try,^[10] securing a starting position for the final against New Zealand, helping them clinch the title with a 22–16 win.^[11]

References

1. "SARU Player Profile Mark Pretorius". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
2. "Match Breakdown: FNB UFS SHIMLAS vs FNB UJ". South African Rugby Union. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
3. "Match Breakdown: MTN Golden Lions vs Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
4. "Jantjies dropped from Lions match-day squad". Sport Live. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
5. "Match Breakdown: Lions vs Reds". South African Rugby Union. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
6. "Pretorius vlieg na Arende". Son (in Afrikaans). 7 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
7. "Match Details: South Africa v Ireland". IRB. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
8. "Match Details: South Africa v Italy". IRB. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
9. "Match Details: South Africa v England". IRB. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
10. "Match Details: Argentina v South Africa". IRB. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
11. "Match Details: South Africa v New Zealand". IRB. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.