England’s favourite son Jonny Wilkinson recently admitted to ‘having that 2003 feeling’ but Dallaglio, a World Cup winner alongside Wilkinson in Australia, does not believe that it will be England hoisting the Webb Ellis Trophy later this year.

Martin Johnson’s side are unrecognisable from the go-slow also-rans of 12 months ago but Dallaglio has warned England to remember just how far they have come, and how much further there is to go.

“If you look at where England was 12 months ago we were in a mess. We were scraping past Italy by only five points. The progress that England has made in that time has been massive,” said Dallaglio, who claimed England’s players were inhibited by Johnson during last year’s Six Nations.

“But there’s still a long way to go, I’m not one of these people that’s getting carried away. We are the fourth best team in the world, and rightfully so having just beaten the fifth best team in France.

“A lot of comparisons have been made between 2003 and 2011 but you have to remember that in 2003 we were the best team in the world and had been for two years.

“There’s a big difference between fourth and first and the next big challenge for us is how do we go from being a good side to being the best side in the world.

“Even if we win the Grand Slam this year, to label us as a side that is going to win the World Cup would be wrong, this World Cup is going to come about twelve months too soon for us.

“The winner will come from south of the equator but given where we were 12 months ago it’s amazing that we can even start to compare ourselves to the best.”

And while Dallaglio is full of praise for the work ex-team-mate Johnson has done in rebuilding England he is quick to refute any suggestion that he might be taking up a coaching role in the near future.

A Wasps director, the 38-year-old has been sorting through a mountain of CVs to search for the right man to succeed Tony Hanks and interim director or rugby Leon Holden – but admits his own isn’t among them.

“I’m just learning to read and write at the moment and until I’ve learnt to do that coaching is not something that I’m considering,” added Dallaglio.

“I’m as disappointed as anyone when people lose their jobs but especially when it’s someone I’ve known personally as a friend in Tony. But that decision has been taken now and we need to look forward as a club.

“Wasps are at the moment recruiting a new director of rugby and there are plenty of CVs arriving on our desks every day, we will go through those and a decision will be made when the time is right.

“Clearly there is something of a rebuilding job that needs to be done; when Martin Johnson retired Leicester went three years without lifting the title.

“This is Wasps third season since me and a number of other players retired but we’ve certainly got to improve results and that will be down to the new director of rugby.”

Lawrence Dallaglio is rugby ambassador for Greene King IPA, the Official Beer of England Rugby. Enjoy a proper pint at your nearest Greene King IPA Official England Rugby Supporter Pub by visiting www.greenekingipa.co.uk