Chameleon Cats confuse the crowd

Soon after his appointment, Cats' coach Laurie Mains made establishment of an identity and a culture of unity his No 1 priority.

All went according to plan until a switch in colours, unbeknown to him while he was away on holiday in New Zealand late last year, turned his squad into an unfamiliar-looking outfit.

That explains why the Cats resembled the Bulls and vice versa for last week's Super 12 opener at Loftus which left so many people confused about who they were really supporting. Half of Pretoria, watching on TV, might have been forgiven for believing that their team - in the more familiar blue of the Bulls - had actually won.

If it has not yet quite reached a crisis of identity, Cats' supporters in the estimated 40 000 crowd at Ellis Park for Saturday's eagerly-awaited clash with southern rivals, the Stormers, may have been uncertain about what to wear. But not anymore as GLRU CEO Johan Prinsloo has given them a dress lead.

"Wear dark blue and red and you can't go wrong. And turn up in big numbers to support the Cats for this vital match," he said.

Since the Stormers adopted their new all-black strip (which upset Natal traditions) last year and quickly established a cult following in similar attire, their fans have faithfully filled Newlands in the right colours.

The Johannesburg section of Stormers' followers will give Ellis Park an indication of their presence while the Cats' fans, if pre-match ticket sales are a reliable indication - and according to Prinsloo sales to locals are brisk for early in the week - should outshout them.

On Tuesday it was not completely clear whether the Cats as the home team would switch to their alternative strip (predominantly red) as a better contrast to the Stormers, or play in dark blue whether or not the visitors change their colours to avoid a clash as they are forced to do in the competition rules.

At a breakfast forum in Sandton on Tuesday for businessmen, sportsmen and supporters, Mains was at pains to stress how he had attempted to alleviate the past Cats identity/logistical and support-based problems by focusing on Johannesburg as the squad's "home".

He praised the Free State and Griquas players' efforts at establishing team spirit in their time together during which the bonding with the majority Lions' members has been noticeable.

Last week's away win at Loftus has helped even more but at least four points off the Stormers on Saturday, a day before departure for Sydney and a tough four-match trip, remains absolutely crucial for the rest of the campaign.

If Tuesday's audience showed that even the more sophisticated follower is confused about the new look, spare a thought for those less perceptive who tend only to identify by the colours they have come to know and support.

The colours concerns aside, Mains is confident that his current squad is talented enough to cope without the handful of big-name defections in the off-season when Griquas and Free State lost several Springboks such as Gaffie du Toit, Albert van den Berg and Phillip Smit to Natal and Naka Drotske, Jannie de Beer and Os du Randt to Pretoria.

If anyone knows how to win in New Zealand and Australia it's Mains. As a former All Blacks' coach who learnt and played his major rugby in Dunedin, home of Otago, he is well equipped to mastermind one of SA's rare Super 12 triumphs at Carisbrook's House of Pain.

It glowed through to the five senior players with him on the stage at Tuesday's get-together. Springbok centre Japie Mulder, acting captain Andre Vos, injured skipper Johan Erasmus, senior lieutenant Hennie le Roux and the world's best No 7 flanker, Andre Venter, were quietly confident that the Cats will do well.

Also obvious is that Le Roux is the backline elder statesman highly respected by Mains, and whose input in this campaign will not be restricted only to playing. Hennie has been entrusted with grooming flyhalf-designate Louis Koen while having a big input in backline strategies. He has clearly put any further Springbok ambitions behind him given last year's fuss about his non-Super 12 involvement, focusing rather on the Cats and the Lions in Currie Cup than a return to international rugby.

Mulder reported that he is hungry to do well after an injury-ravaged time last year while both Vos and Erasmus as the leadership members in the squad are acutely aware of a positive spin to the Cats' campaign from the very beginning.

The heavy demands on the modern player weaved a thread through the discussions and Le Roux drew a parallel that US professional gridiron players played no more than 18 games in a season - fewer than half the number expected of rugby union's participants in most seasons.

Mains conceded it was very heavy, physically and mentally, for players to carry the expected load and to perform at the highest levels week in and week out. It was clearly no joke for the battered and bruised combatants even if the breakfast show MC, the very funny Alain D Woolf, had the laughs coming thick and fast. The Cats mean business all right and if they can do it with a smile that's also okay.

But for now Cats' supporters need to dig out dark blue outfits with flashes of red to counter the black tidal wave expected to hit Doornfontein late on Saturday afternoon. Tickets are on sale at Ellis Park at R60; schoolchildren entrance free seated behind the posts.