World Cup winner Phil Vickery believes Harlequin Joe Marler is winning his battle with Mako Vunipola to be England’s starting loosehead against Fiji at Twickenham on September 18, writes Sacha Clayton.

Marler endured a miserable campaign at club level last season as a combination of injuries and poor form saw Harlequins, who he was appointed skipper of last season, miss out on the Aviva Premiership play-offs.

Marler started against Ireland at the weekend as Stuart Lancaster’s men warmed up for the World Cup in perfect fashion by winning 21-13 at Twickenham – but once again it was far from a convincing performance up front for England.

Vunipola replaced Marler after 55 minutes – but in the short-term it seems as though Lancaster will persevere with his premier front row of Marler, Tom Youngs and Dan Cole.

Although England's cutting edge out wide was razor sharp, the current pack lost two scrums against the head – something unheard of in recent years – and is still to convince it can lay the foundations for global domination.

“I think the loose head battle is pretty fierce for England presently but I think Joe Marler has just about done enough to make the shirt his own ahead of the World Cup,” 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.

“He has had his injuries last season and did not have a particularly good year at Harlequins having been given the captaincy and I think that was an issue for him.

“I think Mako Vunipola offers a different kind of option for England, with potentially more impact off the bench, although I don’t like to just say he is an impact player – he’s better than that and will keep Joe Marler on his toes throughout the tournament.

“I think Mako Vunipola can be a lot more than a replacement for England, but we have two varying props in the squad, which I think is always good from a selection point of view.

“It’s up to those two now to really fight it out and get the best out of each other ultimately for the England team – the performances so far in the warm up games mean positions in the front row are certainly up for grabs.

“You have to have those internal battles going on all over the park, not just the front row, the second row, back row and half backs – you have got to keep those little mini battles going.”

Meanwhile, Vickery has blamed Stuart 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,” added Vickery.

“I think there is still allot 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 justgiving.com/teams/rugbytots For more information about who Wooden Spoon support, visit woodenspoon.org.uk