Catt to freshen 'stale' England

Eight years since his missed tackle on Jonah Lomu earned him infamy and only six months since the thought of him spearheading our World Cup bid was considered downright comical, Mike Catt today hailed his Lazarus-like return as a breath of fresh air for England.

As he celebrated his recall to the starting line-up for Sunday's semifinal against France here in Sydney after two "lonely" years, the Bath veteran reckoned he was in the mood to banish the wretched memory of Lomu-bashing in Cape Town by grabbing this wholly unexpected second chance to reach a World Cup final.

Through a family trauma, the 32-year-old discovered there was more to life than rugby.

And now he believes his sheer pleasure at playing the game these days could help a team which he felt may have been getting a bit "stale" here in Australia.

Following his last-minute call-up to the squad and then Sunday's splendid return to ride shot-gun alongside the beleaguered Jonny Wilkinson as a second half replacement in the quarter-final match against Wales, Catt also believes his inclusion in the starting XV at the expense of Mike Tindall for the showdown against France can now help bring the best out of England's playmaker.

"I feel very fortunate to have that chance again to win a World Cup because I know how hurtful it is to lose in a semi final," he said, recalling the last time England reached the last four, that infamous 1995 encounter when Lomu trampled through and over him like he was not there.

"Jonah was so awesome that day that even 18st guys like Martin Johnson couldn't stop him so, at 13st, I probably didn't have a chance anyway,' he smiled. "Hopefully, though, we're better prepared for the French now than we were for the All Blacks that day."

Catt himself feels prepared for anything now. Down the years, he's had his rugby woes, whether it's the hampers and champers crew giving him the bird at Twickenham or sitting gloomily on the sidelines with injuries.