Phil Vickery told Rugby Club that England must lay down a World Cup marker in Australia this summer.
'Building momentum is crucial this summer ahead of World Cup'
England must lay down a marker for next year's World Cup by getting in the faces of Australia on this summer's tour, according to Phil Vickery.
The former England captain, who earned 73 caps for his country, believes Martin Johnson's squad of 44 can taste success Down Under this summer but only if they go with the right mind-set.
England, whose record in the Southern Hemisphere since 2003 is played nine, lost nine with 47 tries conceded, will play two Tests against Australia in June as well as two games against the Barbarians and a clash with the New Zealand Maori.
And Vickery says they have plenty to prove if they are to be regarded as serious challengers for the Webb Ellis Cup in 2011.
"This England team and coaching team has to prove itself and I think this summer is going to be a hugely pivotal point for the England team moving forward in the build up to the next World Cup," Vickery told
Rugby Club.
"What is considered to be successful for England now? Putting up a good performance against France?
"I'm sure Martin and his coaching team will make it very clear that the only thing that is going to be acceptable to this England team is at worst to lose one Test, at best we've got to go down with the mind-set that we can win both of these Test matches."
Change
With 15 months to go, Australian coach Robbie Deans appears well on the road to making his side serious World Cup contenders but Vickery insists that England should not be intimidated.
"It's 15 guys on a rugby field - get in their faces and don't show them any respect at all. Yes, they've got some great players but so have we," he said.
"They might have proven themselves a bit more, so what? It doesn't mean anything, mate.
"Things have got to change, things have got to move; the coaches have got to trust guys from a playing point of move because it's got to move forward; it's about this group of players building momentum, believing and working hard as individuals and as a group and saying 'we are going to go somewhere' and that has to start this summer."
Opportunity
Wasp Vickery knows what it takes to achieve World Cup success, having been part of England's victorious 2003 side, and he insists that England do have players in their ranks who have the potential to be world-class.
"I look at Dan Cole particularly having watched him this year; as a young man he couldn't be in a better place than Leicester.
"I think it's a great opportunity for him on this tour as a young man in that front five to stake a claim; I believe he could go on and become a world-class player."
He added: "My mindset as a prop going onto the rugby field is you look at who you are playing against, how big he is, how strong and then your main dread other than it being a hot day is who are the back three and who is potentially going to be targeting you.
"I look at Ben Foden and think to myself 'don't come anywhere near me' because - not that he's proven himself to any big degree - he is almost a Jason Robinson-like character when he could create something out of nothing. Against the right type of person - i.e. me - I think he could really do some damage!"
