Thursday 20 August 2015 20:02, UK
Stuart Barnes believes hooker is England's biggest weakness ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, Barnes admitted his concern over the options available to Lancaster following the omission of Dylan Hartley.
Hartley was dropped from Lancaster's 50-man squad following a four-week ban for headbutting Jamie George in the Aviva Premiership semi-final between Northampton Saints and Saracens.
However, the performances of 12-time capped Rob Webber and debutant Luke Cowan-Dickie at Twickenham last weekend, along with the consistency of Tom Youngs, have raised alarm bells for Barnes.
He said: "I look at hooker and see England's potential biggest weakness because Tom Youngs is a tremendous player around the park but under pressure his lineout can go.
"And boy how the decision to omit Dylan Hartley is a big one because we've got Tom Youngs and if that hooking goes we have got inexperienced players all around him.
"So from being a position of relative strength for England hooker is a worrying position now for Lancaster, so he will be desperate for Youngs and George to come through with big performances in Paris."
The man who was on the receiving end of the Hartley headbutt, George will take his place on the bench for Saturday's clash with France in Paris, providing the 24-year-old with an opportunity to cement a place in Lancaster's final squad.
Barnes said: "Jamie George is the beneficiary of two pretty poor performances. Rob Webber didn't do very much, Luke Cowan-Dickie is a tremendously talented young player.
"But there is a world of difference between doing things in training and doing them under pressure and his lineout throwing cracked under the pressure of Twickenham and I assume he's out of contention.
"Jamie George is uncapped but he's got more experience. He's tough, he's reliable and I think he has got a great opportunity. He has impressed me ever since I have seen him for Saracens.
"He was fantastic in the premiership final which I think is important because that was an 82,000 crowd at Twickenham so we know he can handle the pressure."
