Marius Mostert finds himself right back in the Cats starting line-up for their Super 12 game against the Highlanders at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The Eastern Province prop received an SOS from coach Laurie Mains on Monday after it was established that loosehead Heinrich Kok will be out for eight weeks after rupturing a tendon in his elbow in the win over the Stormers at Newlands.

Mostert played for the Cats in the Super 12 last year and for the Lions in the Currie Cup, but didn't get a contract for either side this year. He subsequently moved to Port Elizabeth, but Sharks coach Rudolf Straeuli couldn't find space for him in his Super 12 squad.

This week, however, things changed dramatically for the former Boland prop, who was at the centre of a tug-o-war between the Sharks and the Cats. The Sharks had prop trouble too after Brent Moyle was suspended for three weeks after being sent off for headbutting in their game against the Bulls on Friday.

The Cats won the battle for Mostert and he eclipsed Baksteen Nell, who has to be content with a place on the substitutes' bench. The fact that Mostert has previously formed a formidable front row with Willie Meyer and Leon Boshoff must have swung the pendulum in his favour.

At centre, Grant Esterhuizen is called back to the starting line-up in place of the suspended Japie Mulder. Springbok wing Chester Williams takes his place on the bench. Williams is back after minor surgery to his knee two weeks ago.

In another change to the bench, Piet Krause returns in place of Clark Roberts, who has been demoted to the bench of the Lions Vodacom Cup side.

Cats team: Thinus Delport; Wylie Human, Grant Esterhuizen, Eugene Meyer, Dean Hall; Louis Koen, Chad Alcock; André Vos, Andre Venter, Johan Erasmus (capt), Jannes Labuschagne, Johan Ackermann, Willie Meyer. Substitutes: Leon Boshoff, Marius Mostert, Andre van Niekerk, Baksteen Nell, Piet Krause, Kleinjan Tromp, Chester Williams, Clinton van Rensburg, Jimmy Powell.