The former All Black coach, who guided the Cats to successive Super 12 semi-finals in 2000 and 2001, is to take up a mentoring role for franchise coach Frans Ludeke.

“It’s a massive coup for us,� Cats manager Mac Hendriks told Sunday News. “Laurie Mains is one of the greatest coaches in the history of rugby. His experience at the highest level and his ability to get the best out of people will be invaluable. Laurie is the perfect fit for Frans and the Cats.�

Mains will spend this week helping Ludeke plan for the tournament and he will be “on call� to the Cats coaching staff throughout the tournament.

“Frans is someone who isn’t afraid to surround himself with experience,� Hendriks said. “Too many coaches think they know it all. But we know the value of Laurie is too high to ignore.�

Mains’s reintroduction to top flight rugby comes less than three months after a scathing attack on him in the biography of Highlanders and All Black hooker Anton Oliver.

“Just because certain people don’t know the value of Laurie Mains doesn’t mean we don’t,� he Hendriks. “Laurie Mains in one of the best coaches in rugby anywhere in the world. What has been written means nothing to us. His record speaks for itself. Rugby is a sport where people aren’t always going to get along with each other.