The British and Irish Lions management are being urged to consider the 37-year-old Mike Catt to fill the midfield vacancy on their upcoming tour to South Africa following the shoulder injury which has sidelined the Cardiff Blues' centre Tom Shanklin.

Catt will be at the heart of London Irish's attempt to win the Guinness Premiership final against Leicester this Saturday and the Exiles' head coach, Toby Booth, believes the former England centre is playing sufficiently well to justify selection for one last Lions hurrah on his native soil.

"He should be going with the Lions," insisted Booth. "From what you saw against Harlequins at the weekend, find me someone who's better. I can't speak highly enough of him."

The oldest player to represent the Lions in a Test match was Catt's former team-mate Neil Back, who featured in New Zealand in 2005 at the age of 36. The Lions head coach, Ian McGeechan, is more likely to opt for another London Irish player, Delon Armitage, but Catt's play-making skills and game awareness remain intact and his stock would rise even higher if Irish manage to beat the Tigers at Twickenham.

The Exiles lock Nick Kennedy looks certain to miss the final with a knee ligament injury but the club are confident that the skipper Bob Casey will feature despite an elbow problem. Irish have also pledged to revitalise the stalled career of the fly-half Ryan Lamb after signing the 23-year-old from his native Gloucester on a two-year contract. The Exiles regard Lamb as a long-term option at No10 and believe he will flourish under Catt's expert tutelage.

"The way we play at London Irish, he will have the ability to come out and express himself and do what he wants," said Catt. "Ryan is only 23 years old. He has had a lot of pressure on his shoulders over the last three or four years. Everyone expected him to be the next England 10 and to take Gloucester to the top but he hasn't really had anybody to learn from."