Ollie le Roux, who turned 35 on Saturday as the Stormers scrum was crumbling against the Waratahs, could have the grandest swansong in South African rugby by running out for the Cape side in their do-or-die battle against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Stormers have sent out an SOS to the 54-cap Springbok legend, who will make an appearance at training on Monday afternoon, to shore up their brittle scrum.
But Le Roux is only eligible to play this one game for the Stormers, his first and last, and not the semi-final a week later if the Cape side do make it to the playoffs.
All will depend on the fitness of Brok Harris (shoulder injury) when he is evaluated on Monday. But the Stormers desperately need an experienced loosehead prop to reinforce a scrum that has looked brittle ever since former Lions front-ranker Brian Mujati switched from tighthead to loosehead following the injury to JD Moller.
Stormers spokesperson Frikkie Erasmus confirmed that Le Roux would almost certainly be at training on Monday, but would only be eligible to play in the Stormers' final league game and not next week's semifinals. To qualify for the playoffs, Le Roux would have had to play four games for the side.
In the 13-13 draw against the Waratahs at Newlands on Saturday, the Stormers' problems up front were compounded in the scrums against a Tahs side that won two successive tightheads in the first half.
This had a domino effect, translating into pressure on the halfbacks, resulting in substitute flyhalf Tony Brown fumbling a pass from Ricky Januarie that ultimately led to Lote Tuqiri scoring a try. Kurtley Beale kicked a difficult conversion to level the scores.
In hindsight, Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus admitted he may have erred bringing Brown on in the second half for Springbok Peter Grant, who had done little wrong.
For the second year in succession, in spite of frequently being substituted by Brown, Grant is the highest South African points scorer in the Super 14 (fourth on 110 points).
Last year the pivot was also outstanding for the Stormers, and it was only in the final two matches of the group phase that he was surpassed by Derick Hougaard. That was when the Bulls beat the Blues 40-19 before thrashing the Reds 92-3 at Loftus, with Hougaard kicking 11 conversions and a penalty in that match.
At Newlands on Saturday Brown looked all of his 34-years, but Le Roux, one year older, will be relishing one final hurrah on his debut for the Stormers in his 109th super rugby appearance, at Ellis Park.
To all intents and purposes the jocular, "Jolly Ollie", had played his last game in Leinster's title-winning 41-8 victory over Munster two weeks ago. He loved nothing more than goading the Stormers when he was a Cheetahs player, and famously dubbed their forwards "the light five, too accustomed to the good life of the Cape to be taken seriously".
Against Munster Le Roux scored two tries and walked off the field with the Irish crowd singing his name in tribute to his contribution for his one and only season in Ireland.
If Harris is injured, Le Roux will have a huge role to play, bringing all the experience of 15 years of top-flight rugby to the Stormers pack.
The focal point of this match will be in the scrums and Mujati, almost certain to switch back to tighthead, can regard himself as a marked man up against the one player regarded as a real prospect in the Lions team, loosehead Heinke van der Merwe.
Tension between WP and the Lions centres on Mujati, a Zimbabwean, who was poached by WP last year when the Lions had employed him without a valid work permit.
Erasmus, a lawyer, was shrewd enough to realise Mujati's contract with the Lions was illegal. After having his work permit processed at Home Affairs, Erasmus was able to sign Mujati, whose scrummaging at tighthead this season has put him in the frame for Springbok selection.
The Lions, nevertheless, were incensed over the whole saga and exhausted all appeals to SA Rugby this year in their attempt to have Mujati's contract with WP declared invalid.
"They really have been quite nasty and persistent in this matter," said Erasmus, who has fought the legal battle to keep Mujati in the Cape.
"They even tried to have us penalised for playing three foreigners (Zimbabweans Mujati and Tonderai Chavhanga and Fijian Sireli Naqelevuki) claiming we were in breach of SA Rugby regulations. We (overcame) that argument by pointing out that the Super 14 is a Sanzar competition and we had not broken any rules relating to this tournament."