Lawrence Dallaglio will make his comeback from a tour-threatening knee injury when the Lions tackle Australia A in Gosford on Tuesday.

And former England captain Dallaglio was left under no illusions about the "huge challenge" awaiting him in a furious scramble for Test back-row places.

Dallaglio has been sidelined since Wasps' Premiership play-off semi-final defeat against Bath six weeks ago.

The injury initially cast doubts over his tour place, but he was declared fit enough to travel Down Under and gradually stepped up training work after arriving in Australia just over a fortnight ago.

"I have just been working hard in training, starting full-contact a couple of weeks ago, and I am very pleased to be selected for Tuesday's game."

Dallaglio, having sat out victories over Western Australia, a Queensland President's XV and Queensland Reds, could hardly be facing stiffer competition to make the Test team.

Back-row colleagues Richard Hill, Neil Back, Scott Quinnell and Martin Corry, especially, have all hit top form, giving Lions coach Graham Henry the right kind of selection headache building towards Saturday week's first Test in Brisbane.

"Lawrence faces a huge challenge, but he has probably trained harder than anyone else and has done everything humanly possible to be available for Tuesday's game," Henry said.

While Dallaglio effectively starts making up for lost time, his England team-mate Mike Catt will be on a similar mission.

Bath ace Catt has been troubled by a calf strain, and now makes a first appearance, subject to him proving his fitness in training today.

Henry has made 15 changes from the side that swamped Queensland Reds 42-8 on Saturday, also handing first tour starts to scrum-half Austin Healey and prop Jason Leonard, two serious Test candidates who have featured as substitutes so far.

Wallabies star Daniel Herbert paid the Lions a glowing tribute after seeing his Queensland side blown away at Ballymore.

The Super 12 semi-finalists conceded tries to Dan Luger, Rob Henderson, Dafydd James, Richard Hill and Brian O'Driscoll, while fly-half orchestrator Jonny Wilkinson kicked 17 points.

Even though the Reds were without injured international trio John Eales, Ben Tune and Chris Latham, they still paraded six players on Wallabies duty against the New Zealand Maoris seven days earlier.

Herbert said: "The Lions are living up to their reputations," he said. "They are possibly the best side the Wallabies have faced in a number of years.

"We haven't faced a side over the last 12 months which has been as good as the Lions, but I don't think Rod Macqueen (Wallabies coach) saw too much different in the Queensland match to what he already knew about them."