Basic tools in place for England tilt at RWC, says Jonny Wilkinson
Former star fly-half says hosts are in good shape as showpiece preparations continue
World Cup-winner Jonny Wilkinson believes the ground work has been done for England to recapture the Webb Ellis trophy on home soil next year.
Wilkinson, whose drop goal won the World Cup for England in 2003, said the foundations had been laid for Stuart Lancaster's team to build the momentum needed to launch a credible challenge at the tournament that gets under way next September.
"We are in a good place, a really good place," he said at an event at St James' Park.
Winning every game in the year before a World Cup does not guarantee you winning a World Cup
"The work has been done to create the platform to give the guys something solid to launch from in every game, and that gives you the consistency of knowing that you are going to be there and thereabouts even against the best.
"The rest is what's being built and will be shown more and more this year against the big teams. You have got to win, you have got to learn how to win and get that momentum going."
Crucial to building that momentum will be the autumn internationals in which England face southern hemisphere powerhouses New Zealand, South Africa and Australia as well as unpredictable Samoa.
Prior to lifting the World Cup, Wilkinson's England were all-conquering, winning every match in 2003 apart from one warm-up against France in Paris.