Former England prop Jason Leonard has said that Stuart Lancaster's side are "looking pretty good" ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup on home soil.

The Red Rose will get the tournament underway against Fiji on September 18 at Twickenham, where all but one of their matches will be played.

Leonard, who was part of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad and is now the president of the RFU, is pleased with the way things are shaping up for the current crop of players, and believes that the home advantage could prove to be vital to their chances of regaining the Webb Ellis Cup.

"I think the England team is looking pretty good, particularly with the strength in depth we have now. We are in a healthy position with the World Cup just around the corner," Leonard told PA.

"We have shown that we can take on the best on our day. If all goes well, all of our games should be at Twickenham, apart from the one against Uruguay in Manchester, which will be fantastic going on the road.

"The home crowd will be very vocal getting behind the team, and they will be very hard to beat. I think it is a big deal playing at Twickenham, and I think England's best performances have been when the crowd is participating as well, and I expect that to be exactly the same in this World Cup."

England are also in a group alongside Australia, Wales and Uruguay.