By Sacha Clayton

WORLD Cup winner Phil Vickery has called on England boss Stuart Lancaster to hand Gloucester wing Jonny May a starting spot against Fiji in their tournament opener on September 18.

May sparkled for England during their final warm up fixture against Ireland at Twickenham at the weekend, scoring the opener and also having a second try ruled out for a forward pass as England signed off in style with a 21-13 win.

Vickery, who was a cornerstone of England’s World Cup win in Australia in 2003, is convinced Lancaster must think outside of the box for this month’s tournament and pick livewire May for his ability to slice through defences.

Too much has been made of May’s defensive fragilities in recent months but his backline partnership with full back Mike Brown and fellow wing Anthony Watson at the weekend looked devastating at times.

His biggest rival for a wing position is Exeter’s Jack Nowell but Vickery has encouraged Lancaster to be brave and pick Kingsholm favourite May for a starting spot against the Fijians.

“He has certainly had his doubters since he burst on to the international stage but I think they’re very unfair,” 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.

“I don’t think he fits in with Stuart’s criteria particularly well.

“Stuart seems quite methodical and everything has got to be exact and Jonny May is not one of those players, he’s a little bit more spirited.

“Jonny May’s biggest attributes is he brings something a little bit different and Stuart for me sometimes can be a little bit narrowed and have tunnel vision.

“I think Stuart Lancaster sometimes thinks this is the way you must do things, and how you must play and if you do that to someone like Jonny May you kind of take away everything that is magical about him.

“I know he needs to improve and particularly his defensive game, his concentration perhaps at times but goodness me as he showed here a couple of months ago, he’s very, very special.

“Give him the ball and tell him to go and score a try and beat everyone that is on the field and he’s capable of doing it.

“That’s what you need to be telling Jonny May because he is a game changer and it was great to see him come out, he just looked more confident and he just looked like someone whose been given a sort of bit of confidence from coaches as well.

“I think he can have a huge impact for this England team for sure and be a very special player.”

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 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 www.justgiving.com/teams/rugbytots For more information about who Wooden Spoon support, visit www.woodenspoon.org.uk