Cats cauldron awaits new Blues first five

By WYNNE GRAY

North Harbour's Luke McAlister needed to pass a late fitness test before he joined the Blues squad on their Super 12 road trip to South Africa.

The 20-year-old five-eighths was going to take a break from club rugby to rest a hamstring he strained on Good Friday. Instead, he will make his Super 12 debut at Ellis Park.

When Tasesa Lavea was injured against the Stormers and unable to deputise for Carlos Spencer, who had been given paternity leave dispensation, McAlister was asked to alter his ideas.

While McAlister will wear the No 10 jersey, Spencer is ready to join the squad after becoming a father for the first time this week and being cleared of any problems after his head clash against the Stormers.

Meanwhile, McAlister found his passport, passed a late medical and tomorrow will front the Cats.

McAlister claims his hamstring is fine and he is not feeling any extra pressure because he has trained with the Blues for much of the season.

"It will be the biggest game of my life that's for sure, but it is not like I am coming into this cold," he said. So far the only struggle for McAlister has been in coping with the altitude.

"I had to talk to a few of the boys to see if they were any different.

"They reckon they have got used to it coming here a couple of times a year." He played at Ellis Park with the NZ Colts two years ago when that team was caught up in a nightclub shooting incident.

"I missed it all, I was back at the hotel," McAlister recalled of the night of terror.

"I did not find the altitude that bad then either but we had a week and a half to acclimatise so maybe that helped.

"We played in front of a couple of thousand people then but I guess there will be a few more there this weekend."

He missed selection for the Blues last season to recuperate from shoulder surgery, while a serious hamstring injury in the NPC curtailed his chances this year.

That was before the attrition rate removed Lavea, Spencer and allowed the steadier McAlister to overtake Orene Ai'i for tomorrow's match.

McAlister will be reunited with age-group backline colleagues like Billy Fulton, Sam Tuitupou and Ben Atiga, but that collection of young men will not be able to perform unless the Blues pack performs.

Frustrated coach Peter Sloane has made only one adjustment to that disjointed group with a fit Bradley Mika in for Bryce Williams at lock. Sloane's options were limited because his best forwards Keven Mealamu and Daniel Braid missed the trip.

Meanwhile the Cats have rewarded three players - Andre Pretorius, Juan Smith and Gurthro Steenkamp - who showed some purpose when they came off the bench last week.

Captain Wikus van Heerden said the Cats were still a bit disappointed after the narrow 37-39 defeat to the Crusaders, "but we're going to build on the positives that arose from our second-half display against them".