A lot has been made of England’s lack of depth in the hooking department but according to World Cup winner Phil Vickery, Stuart Lancaster’s tournament hopes are in safe hands with Saracens' Jamie George.

The omission of Northampton’s Dylan Hartley for disciplinary reasons in June robbed Lancaster of a man with 50 caps for England and left only Tom Youngs as a matchday regular from recent seasons.

George, who has plenty of experience at club level for Saracens, is a relative international novice still, meaning fears remain England would be hopelessly exposed at hooker in the World Cup if Youngs gets injured.

Vickery is not one of those doubters though and in Youngs, Webber and youthful Saracen George, he’s convinced England have a nice blend at their disposal and feels they have all the ammunition required to challenge at the World Cup.

“No player should be guaranteed an England start in any squad and that’s why it’s important for Rob Webber and Jamie George to challenge Tom Youngs,” said Vickery, who is encouraging people to show their support of children’s rugby franchise, Rugbytots, as they take to the roads to tackle their impressive World Cup Bike Ride, raising vital funds for Wooden Spoon – the children’s charity of rugby.

“They need to put him under pressure and really battle internally for that England jersey – it helps to improve performances.

“You need healthy competition, even at club level, no one should ever think that they just go back and get back in.

“I think that battle has asked a lot of questions and I think for Jamie to be in this rugby World Cup squad answers the question.

“Is he ready and is he competitive, does he really want it and I think the answer is a resounding yes personally.

“He’s a hugely talented guy and I think he’s someone that could have an impact on this England team in future years as well, which is exciting.

“I don’t want to get into that scenario of the next World Cup is England’s World Cup because I don’t believe in that, I think it’s right here, right now and I actually think this England team could do really well.

“I don’t want to use that excuse of we’re not quite there yet, we haven’t got that much experience because for me that’s rubbish.

“It’s about performing and if you can use this home platform as an inspiration and something that can actually push you to that next level.

“Although not regularly for long periods of time but when they play and when they really go for it, they can take on and compete and beat pretty much anyone.”

Meanwhile, Vickery has blamed Lancaster for England’s problems in the set piece during their warm-up fixtures and has called for consistency in selection.

Vickery formed a formidable front row partnership in 2003 alongside Steve Thompson and Trevor Woodman, with the evergreen Jason Leonard an impact player off the bench.

The former Wasp believes consistent selection by Sir Clive Woodward in the 12 months prior to the tournament ensured each player knew their roles in the scrum and at line-out time, giving England an advantage at the World Cup in the tight.

Fast forward 12 years and it’s a very different situation altogether for Lancaster – he fielded two completely different front rows in the opening warm-up games against France and as a result the set piece looked a shambles, according to Vickery.

“If I had to criticise the England management, remember I stand here as a supporter and a fan, it’s that I still don’t know what my starting XV is and that’s a real worry,” said Vickery.

“I think there are still a lot of question marks over a number of positions and also selections. I think one thing Stuart and the coaches haven’t done particularly well is use this last 12 months to convince us and convince the squad and the players that this is my starting team.”

If you’d like to sponsor the riders, who over four gruelling days of cycling, took in iconic stadiums in England and Wales who’ll play host to Rugby World Cup matches visit www.justgiving.com/teams/rugbytots For more information about who Wooden Spoon support, visit www.woodenspoon.org.uk