Catt In

[GHA EFM]

London Irish centre Mike Catt has been recalled by England for the summer tour of Australia.

England coach Andy Robinson is missing a host of players due to injury and the need to rest key men and Catt, 34, will bring experience to the squad.

 

Promising young backs Mathew Tait and Tom Varndell are both included.

 

Pat Sanderson will captain the side in the absence of Martin Corry, while Charlie Hodgson, Jonny Wilkinson and Josh Lewsey are among the rested men.

 

Only eight from the 22 who played against Ireland in this season's final RBS Six Nations Championship match will travel.

 

Gloucester centre Mike Tindall and Sale wing Mark Cueto take a break, while props Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens and Phil Vickery miss out through injury.

 

Second rows Danny Grewcock and Simon Shaw are both rested, but back-row men Lewis Moody and Joe Worsley make the trip, while young Sale flanker Magnus Lund is given a chance to impress.

 

Scrum-half Harry Ellis is a surprise omission with his Leicester understudy, Scott Bemand, making the cut.

 

He will compete with Peter Richards and Nick Walshe for the number nine shirt, while Olly Barkley and Andy Goode are in the frame for the fly-half position.

 

Robinson confirmed he wanted to rest as many senior players as possible with the 2007 World Cup in mind.

 

"The squad for Australia is a mix of experience and youth," he said.

 

"I've deliberately decided to rest some players to ensure they're in the best shape they could possibly be in ahead of the World Cup in 2007.

 

"The tour does, however, give a number of players the opportunity to stake their own claims for a place in the World Cup squad."

 

Catt has been rewarded for a magnificent season which has seen him inspire London Irish's charge into the Guinness Premiership play-offs and their European Challenge Cup final appearance.

 

He won his last international cap in the 51-15 defeat by Australia in June 2004 - Sir Clive Woodward's final match as head coach.

 

Tait endured a torrid debut when he was prematurely called up as an 18-year-old to face Wales in the 2005 Six Nations.

 

But he has been in fine form this season and is relishing his return to the England stage.

 

"It's fantastic to be back involved with England again, it has been a major goal of mine and I just hope to make the most of any chances that come my way," he said.

 

"I think it's fairly well-documented what happened when I was last with the full England side, but I've learnt a lot from that time and I feel I'm much better equipped now to deal with the whole thing.

 

"I've had a lot of positive experiences with England in the sevens code during the last year or so, as well as developing well within the Newcastle set-up, so I'm going in to the tour full of confidence and with a lot of support."

 

England will return to the Telstra Stadium in Sydney, where they won the World Cup in 2003, with Leicester second row Ben Kay the only player left from the starting XV which defeated Australia.

 

England leave for Sydney on Monday, 29 May, with the first Test against the Wallabies at the Telstra Stadium on Sunday, 11 June and the second at Melbourne's Telstra Dome on Saturday, 17 June.

 

 

England squad to tour Australia:

Backs: S Abbott (Wasps), I Balshaw (Gloucester), O Barkley (Bath), S Bemand (Leicester), M Catt (London Irish), A Goode (Leicester), J Noon (Newcastle), P Richards (Gloucester), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), M Tait (Newcastle), M Van Gisbergen (Wasps), T Varndell (Leicester), T Voyce (Wasps), N Walshe (Bath).

Forwards: D Bell (Bath), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), C Jones (Sale), B Kay (Leicester), M Lipman (Bath), M Lund (Sale), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), G Rowntree (Leicester), P Sanderson (Worcester, captain), A Titterrell (Sale), J White (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).

 

Not considered due to injury:

S Borthwick (Bath), J Clarke (Northampton), L Dallaglio (Wasps), S Perry (Bristol), A Sheridan (Sale), M Stevens (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps).