Cruel blow rules Venter out Down Under

Wickus Venter was left reeling on Sunday after being robbed of a chance to play for the Cats on their Super 12 trip to Australia and New Zealand.

The 23-year-old centre broke his jaw in his first match back since cracking a cheekbone in a friendly a few weeks ago.

Playing for the Lions in a Vodacom Cup clash with Namibia on Saturday, Venter suffered the break to his jaw inside five minutes.

It means that Dean Hall will travel in his place in the squad. He did not fly out on Sunday night with the rest of the team but will leave on Tuesday to join his team-mates in Sydney prior to the clash with NSW Waratahs.

Venter now faces a month to six weeks on the sidelines and Cats' coach Laurie Mains said he felt very sorry for the young player who turned 23 in January.

"He was so keen and determined to play Super 12. That's why he wanted this chance to prove his match fitness. It can be a cruel game sometimes," said Mains.

In hindsight it may have been too big a gamble to play Venter so soon after the surgery to his face but the player insisted on taking the chance.

In contrast, Springbok centre Japie Mulder's fortunes are much brighter after limping off in the 3rd minute of the Cats' Super 12 win over the Stormers with left ankle damage. He was assessed by medical staff and is likely to be able to play in two weeks.

For that reason Mulder left on schedule with the squad and hopefully will be fit for either the Highlanders in two weeks, but more likely the Hurricanes on March 25.

The Mulder and Venter mishaps have left the Cats short of a ready-made inside centre.

Grant Esterhuizen is more effective at outside and Jannie van der Walt, a retreaded wing, is not as happy operating next to the flyhalf, although he did remarkably well in the inside role when coming on for Mulder against the Stormers.

The injuries have also opened a window for Mac Masina in midfield and the young Sowetan will now be a more integral part of the Cats' 22 man squad, while at the same time appeasing Sarfu's criticism of the inclusion of only one - and not two - players of colour for the first two matches as per a gentlemen's agreement among the four coaches made last year.

Current Cats' coach Laurie Mains was not part of the original decision and thus unaware of it and Sarfu have accepted an explanation of lack of communication within the union as the reason for the selection of only Chester Williams against the Bulls and Stormers.

Cats travel party: Kobus Engelbrecht, Chester Williams, Louis Koen, Jannie van der Walt, Grant Esterhuizen, Dean Hall (flying tomorrow), Mac Masina, Japie Mulder, Tinus Delport, Hennie le Roux, Werner Swanepoel, Jimmy Powell, Johan Erasmus, Andre Vos, Andre Venter, Piet Krause, Victor Matfield, Jannes Labuschagne, Willie Meyer, Leon Boshoff, Marius Mostert, Torros Pretorius, Johan Ackermann, Pierre Ribbens, Delarey du Preez and Adrian Garvey.