Shane Williams has warned England to underestimate Wales at their own peril at this year's Rugby World Cup.

The two home nations collide at the pool stage in a tough-looking group that also includes one of the tournament favourites in Australia.

Both England and Australia have been heavily backed heading into the showpiece tournament, but Williams believes that Wales are currently on a par with the Red Rose.

"England were certainly the better side in the Six Nations against Wales, however, I thought Wales got stronger as the competition went on and there were a number of teams who could have won the championship in the end," he told Kicca.

"So I wouldn't say England are light-years ahead of Wales, I'd say they're about equal at the moment. Perhaps they've been a bit more fortunate with their squad players coming through and being fit for the World Cup, and they may have a bit more of a choice in their squad, but you couldn't really put anything between them."

Williams is Wales's record try scorer, having crossed over 58 times in 91 appearances for his national side.