But the Northampton Saints-bound prop's calf injury in Australia led to Court being parachuted onto the bench for Tuesday's Melbourne Rebels clash.
Court came off the bench for the final 20 minutes against the Rebels, a remarkable transformation for a man who was on holiday with his family in Brisbane and not anticipating a call-up.
And the 32-year-old Ulster prop, who started the RaboDirect PRO12 final defeat against Leinster in May, admitted his rushed debut in the iconic red jersey had been a dream come true.
"It's the peak of Mount Everest, really," he said.
"It's ironic that Alex Corbisiero was probably heavily involved in my lowest moment in international rugby and has now been heavily responsible for my high point," said Court.
"Maybe it's a bit of justice but it's one of those things that is going to be hard to believe for a long time to come and I'm just going to enjoy having that red jersey. I think 806 (Court became the 806th man to represent the Lions) might be my new favourite number."
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