Lions: Catt ready to pounce

Mike Catt will make his belated Lions tour entrance against Australia A tomorrow, admitting: ‘‘It’s one step at a time.’’

The Bath and England star has been suffering from calf muscle trouble, an injury which meant he was not considered for emphatic opening victories over Western Australia, Queensland President’s XV and Queensland Reds.

Both Will Greenwood and Rob Henderson have launched strong bids to claim the Test team inside centre position while Catt endured a frustrating fortnight, much of it spent on the treatment table.

But he came through today’s training session at Manly Oval, taking a full part in the final pre-match workout and confirming his fitness as Lions coach Graham Henry looked on.

‘‘The coaching and management team have been superb - they could have sent me home in the first week, I think - but luckily, I’ve been able to get through training today,’’ he said.

‘‘I will see how it goes tomorrow night, and then we can re-assess what my goals are and what I want to achieve on the tour.’’

Catt though, admits that a troublesome right calf could not have hindered him at a worse time.

‘‘I would have liked to have probably tried to be in the Saturday team by now, but it is one step at a time - I am just glad to be playing,’’ he added.

‘‘From a positional view, it is one of the most contested at the moment, with Hendo and Will both playing extremely well.

‘‘I’ve got a chance tomorrow, there are another three games before the Tests start, and as we know, on these Lions tours anything can happen.

‘‘I will just keep quiet and get on with it. It’s a massive test tomorrow, and if I come out satisfactorily, then I will be happy with myself.’’

With 20 times-capped Wallabies powerhouse Nathan Grey lining up opposite him tomorrow, Catt’s match fitness is set for a stringent examination.

But if Catt can emerge unscathed from what is effectively a make-or-break 80 minutes, then he could still thrust himself into Test contention, claiming the number 12 jersey he was pre-tour favourite to wear following a brilliant Six Nations campaign with England.

Henry has braced his Lions for an unofficial fourth Test match when they tackle Australia A at Gosford’s 20,000-capacity North Power Stadium, home of the Northern Eagles rugby league club.

And he also believes that the Wallabies’ second string will ‘‘come out with all guns blazing,’’ hell-bent on destroying an unbeaten tour record.

With the three-Test series against world champions Australia now just 12 days from kick-off, the Lions will introduce Catt and Lawrence Dallaglio for their first appearances Down Under.

While they both launch comebacks after injury, targeting Test places, other strong candidates like Greenwood, scrum-half Austin Healey and number eight Scott Quinnell face similarly critical appointments.

‘‘It is probably my first and last chance for Test selection, and I have got to make the most of it. There is a lot of pressure,’’ Healey claimed.

And as the Test countdown continues, Henry is well aware that some tough selection decisions are looming large.

‘‘You can only pick 22 for the Tests, so there are going to be a lot of disappointed players,’’ he said.

‘‘All they can do is their best, and a large number of the guys are playing their best rugby.

‘‘I think this fixture will be the toughest game of the tour outside the Test matches. The pride of Australian rugby took a bit of a dent at Ballymore on Saturday, and they (Australia A) will come out with all guns blazing.

‘‘It will probably be the fourth Test of the tour, and show any deficiencies that we’ve got,’’ added the coach.

Flanker Phil Waugh, recently-crowned Super 12 player of the season, leads an A side containing nine Australian internationals, five in the pack.

‘‘We know that Australia A have got quality players throughout the team, and they’ve also been together in camp for some time,’’ said back-row ace Dallaglio, who makes his first appearance since suffering a knee injury during Wasps’ Premiership play-off semi-final defeat against Bath six weeks ago.

‘‘It is going to be a very stern test.’’