Pretorius provides spark as old teammates drop their guard again Firecracker: Sarel Pretorius. He started with all the spark, verve and vigour you would expect from someone with a point to prove after being scorned by the team he was playing against. But for Cheetahs halfback Sarel Pretorius - the Waratahs' marquee international signing this time last year, who ended up cutting short his two-year deal after being dropped from the 22-man playing squad - his exciting, high-octane emotion should have lasted only so long. However, against the Waratahs, the native of Reitz in South Africa must surely have expected he would become the first target of his former Waratahs teammates, and he would get away for only so long with his trademark sniping runs and split-second field smarts. Before NSW's 26-27 loss at Allianz Stadium, Waratahs captain Dave Dennis said it was imperative they shut down the 2008 Emerging Springbok. "We have to pressure him," he said. We're aware of his threats. He likes to take the quick tap. He plays a lot of up-tempo. He is a great support player. Waratahs No.12 Adam Ashley-Cooper confirmed "Get Pretorius" was the call after it had become "mission accomplished" at half-time as the Waratahs walked off with a rare sprightly step, as a tiring Pretorius and his Cheetahs lumbered off after having their 14-6 lead reversed to 20-17. Not that Pretorius stopped trying in the second half. At the 63rd minute, with NSW up 23-20 but momentum back in the visitors' favour, Pretorius was right in the thick of it. And no coincidence seven minutes later, the Cheetahs were back in front 27-23 after winger Raymond Rhule scored his second try. Pretorius's impact on the match was impressive, and certainly gave the 12,263 crowd of mostly loyal Waratahs fans an early sense of "what are we in for - again." The match clock had only started ticking when Pretorius began to speak with his performance, after the ball came out from the ruck from Berrick Barnes's kick-off. As soon as he got the ball in hand, the 175-centimetre tall and 84-kilogram halfback sniped around the ruck and bolted 10 metres before being tackled. Hot off scoring two tries against the Highlanders a week earlier, Pretorius's run was crucial in providing the Cheetahs with the early forward momentum. In the second minute with the Cheetahs still in NSW's half, winger Willie Le Roux produced a nifty chip and chase. As the ball dropped into his palms, he popped it right to a full-paced Robert Ebersohn who scored the game's first try which put the Cheetahs 7-0 up after it had been converted. But Pretorius didn't stop. In the fifth minute he produced a magical ball steal off Waratahs winger Lachie Turner just outside NSW's 22-metre, slipped through one defender, stepped inside and got as far as seven metres out from the try line before being brought down by a NSW defence on red alert. Sure, the Waratahs had got on top of him by half-time, believing they had snuffed out the danger he is. But rugby is an 80-minute game, and the home side should have reminded themselves of that before they allowed Pretorius to get back into the game.