Chad Alcock will play Super 12 rugby this year after all. After being overlooked by the Sharks, the Eastern Province scrumhalf was thrown a lifeline by Cats coach Laurie Mains on Thursday when he was drafted into the squad in place of the injured Werner Swanepoel.
The Springbok fractured his jaw in three places in the Cats practice game against the Lions at Wits University on Wednesday and was ruled out for six weeks. Alcock was the big winner when Mains sent out a SOS to the 1998 Springbok.
A disappointed Mains expressed his sympathies with Swanepoel, but added he was delighted to have an experienced campaigner like Alcock to fall back on. "Werner had an unlucky run with injuries the last couple of seasons," Mains said.
"But we brought Chad Alcock in. He was on the list of backup players supplied by the national selectors and we were very happy to choose him from that list. He is a strong player and, personally, I rate him very highly. The fact that he has Super 12 experience counted heavily in his favour," the former All Black coach said.
Swanepoel, who has just recovered from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Springboks 2000 end-of-year tour, will miss the Cats' first five Super 12 games. That will set him back enormously in his quest to win back the Springbok jersey from Joost van der Westhuizen.
Free State Cheetah Jimmy Powell is set to be Mains' first-choice scrumhalf. Alcock's two seasons as part of the Sharks squad should, however, stand him in good stead and he could pose a serious threat to Powell for the No 9-jersey. The 27-year-old has added motivation to perform well after the Sharks didn't consider him good enough for their squad.
Mains was happy with what the Cats achieved in the game on Wednesday. "It was a good work-out. The Lions were a very committed side and they defended very well. Our performance was much improved from our previous warm-up games."
The coach was loath to single out individual performances and said it was a useful performance overall. He also didn't want to be drawn into a discussion of a possible starting line-up against the Stormers on February 24. "We haven't settled on that at all," was all he was prepared to say.
Mains said his side still have a lot of work to do before they can take the field with confidence for their opening game. "We're definitely not ready for that game yet. We've been disrupted a little bit by injuries, so we have a lot of work to do on some of our combinations.
"We had a lot of injuries in the front row and now, with Werner's injury, the inside backs is another combination we've got to work on."
Springbok tighthead prop Willie Meyer didn't play against the Lions, but according to Mains it was just a precautionary measure. "He felt his shoulder against the Sharks and we've decided it would be unwise to risk him against the Lions."
Wing Chester Williams, who had cartilage removed from his knee last week, will join the Cats this week, but will miss the Stormers game. He should be ready for action the following week, Mains added.
The coach hopes to have utility back Conrad Jantjes, who for the last month is battling a hamstring injury, back on the training field next week. "We will possibly give him a run in the Vodacom Cup side next week."
The coach said he is not concerned about the fact that Springbok inside centre Japie Mulder must still make a comeback to the field after the end-of-year tour. "He is about ready to start playing now. He played right at the end of the Bok tour last year and that isn't that long ago.
"Japie is one of those players who seems capable of playing well the first time he takes to the field."