And following the morale-boosting demolition of New Zealand in the autumn the 22-year-old admits England are riding the crest of a wave.

The Harlequins front row believes Stuart Lancaster’s side are the form team in world rugby at present, but called on his teammates to build on their impressive run.

"If [the World Cup] was to start tomorrow, we'd back ourselves to win it," said Marler.

"It's a little bit of an English thing in most sports, getting ahead of ourselves somewhat.

"But we're on a journey. We're on a journey as a team and each time we pull on that shirt it's another step towards that ultimate goal of a home World Cup in front of your own fans.

"That's our main goal. But we'll be focusing on the process in between then and now because it's still two and a half years away, so we've got lots to do before then.

“We're concentrating on the next game. As individuals throughout the squad, I'm sure a lot of the boys have got [the Lions tour] at the back of their minds but it's about the team first, here and now.

"You're not going to get on that tour unless you perform in these games and these games are what count and we're just concentrating on those."