England head coach Stuart Lancaster has called up uncapped prop Nathan Catt for England’s tour of New Zealand as injury concerns in the front-row continue to plague his preparations.
Catt, 26, has linked up with the rest of the England party with Mako Vunipola struggling with a knee injury and Joe Marler suffering with a slight hip strain.
Marler and Vunipola started all five of England’s RBS 6 Nations games between them but with Alex Corbisiero only just back from a knee injury of his own, the door has opened for Catt.
Catt has never represented the senior England side but has appeared at Under-20 level and also played for England Saxons.
The 6ft 2in loose-head has played 73 times for Bath since making his debut against Leicester in 2008 and Lancaster is excited to see what the new man can offer.
“We have decided to take Nathan out with us now to ensure he is up to speed with our systems and structures in the lead up to next week,” Lancaster said.
Leicester Tigers prop Fraser Balmain has replaced Catt in the England XV squad for the match against the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium on June 1.
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