Pretorius joins Bulls

South Africa centre Jaco Pretorius has joined the Bulls on a three-year deal.

Pretorius, who has spent his entire career so far with the Lions, has played more than 80 first-class matches and captained the Springbok Sevens side to the last World Cup in 2005.

He made his Test debut on the wing for South Africa in November 2006 against Ireland in Dublin and also played against New Zealand in Christchurch during the 2007 Tri-Nations.

The midfielder-cum-wing decided to move to the 2007 Super 14 champions as he felt his rugby was stagnating.

"I have been with the Lions for 11 years and although I received a few offers over the years I never anticipated that I would play for another Union, but this is as an ideal opportunity to revitalise my rugby career," he said.

"I love new challenges and to play for the Bulls, which is the best franchise in the county, is a massive privilege."

Pretorius added that he was extremely grateful for the manner in which the Lions handled the transfer, but admitted saying goodbye to all his friends would be tough.

"This is a very emotional time for me because the Lions have been very good to me throughout my career and I have a lot of fond memories that I will continue to cherish in the future," he said.

"But I am extremely excited about the new challenges that await me at Loftus and I am looking forward to playing for the Bulls."