Pretorius seeks German cure

2007-07-13 08:25

Hennie Brandt

Johannesburg - A German hamstring specialist holds the last hope that Andre Pretorius may recover in time to play in the Rugby World Cup tournament in France.

The Springbok flyhalf has an appointment to see Müller Wohlfhart in Munich on July 30.

Wohlfhart wants to work with Pretorius for five days, says the Lions player's agent, Peet van Zyl, who will accompany him to Germany.

Pretorius has been troubled by a hamstring injury since the end of the Super 14 competition. It started in the buttocks and the Springbok team's medical team advised Pretorius to rest.

However, resting did not help and nothing more has been done.

Pretorius has undergone a scan and has received injections to speed up the recovery process.

"André says he is 90% better but not completely ready. Now we have decided to do something ourselves to give him a chance to play in the World Cup tournament," Van Zyl said on Thursday.

"We are considering every option. I called Wohlfahrt. All previous diagnoses concerning André's injury were sent to him and we managed to get an appointment for July 30. The airline tickets have already been bought."

Helps sports stars with hamstring injuries

Wohlfahrt is highly respected all over the world for his ability to help sports stars who have hamstring problems.

He has helped the 100m world record holder, Jamaican Asafa Powell, and the previous record holder, American Maurice Green, to get back on the track.

Asked whether Pretorius still had a chance of making the South African World Cup squad, Van Zyl said neither he nor the player had any control over the matter.

"Everything depends on the coach and whether he would be willing to include André in a provisional squad to prove himself.

"If that can't be done, André will play Currie Cup rugby for the Lions to help make a difference to their team."

It will be heartbreaking for Pretorius to recover, with the assistance of Wohlfahrt, but not to be given an opportunity by Springbok coach Jake White to prove his fitness.

With Butch James and Pretorius not in the Springbok team for the Tri-Nations tour of Australasia, South Africa's lack of a world-class flyhalf stood out like a sore thumb in Sydney last week.

Derick Hougaard did not convince but has another chance in Christchurch on Saturday to secure his World Cup place.

- Beeld