Brumbies old boy Mark Bartholomeusz will jump from Western Force squad member to key playmaker this week, after being anointed the immediate replacement for the luckless Andre Pretorius.
The Springbok number 10 had his Super 14 career with the Force ended before it began on Friday, after scans on a seemingly innocuous hamstring injury revealed it required surgery and three months' recovery time.
The injury threw the Force's backline plans into confusion, but the club said yesterday Bartholomeusz would be their first choice flyhalf for the first game, although an international search was on for a possible recruit.
"Mark Bartholomeusz has prepared with the team all the way through the pre-season and trial period in that number 10 position ... he is our first and foremost choice at 10 now," said Mitch Hardy, Force's general manager of rugby.
"You'd like to start the season with all the players fit and ready to go and you certainly don't bank on a season-ending injury like Andre's happening a week before the start of the season.
"We've got to assess where we're at after round three really, use the players we have in our roster at the moment and have faith in their ability and performance."
Bartholomeusz's presence against his former club will be an ironic twist in an already intriguing match against the Brumbies on Friday, with Matt Giteau returning to take on the Force at the earliest opportunity after returning to Canberra.
But with Giteau's place in the season opener also in doubt – he will fly to Perth on Tuesday but it is still struggling with an injured quad – Hardy said the club would look to Europe and Japan for a possible replacement for Pretorius.
"There is some work to do to determine if we go elsewhere and try and find another player," Hardy said.
"At this point in time there is no one in Australia as everyone is committed to Australian franchises.
"The Japanese season is finishing up in the next few weeks and the Heineken Cup is coming to a close so there may be an opportunity to bring in another player should we decide to do so."
Bartholomeusz was also supported to start by Pretorius, who will stay with the Force in a mentoring role until he begins a stint in Japan.
"I'd go with Mark Bartholomeusz because we have gone through everything together and his knowledge of the game and knowledge of our strategy and game plan is so good," Pretorius said.
"The way he comes across in team meetings and so on, he really conveys messages well and I reckon Barty will be fine there." - sydney morning herald
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