LAWRENCE Dallaglio insists England must topple two of the southern hemisphere giants this autumn with defeat of South Africa their number one priority.

Stuart Lancaster's men host New Zealand, South Africa, Samoa and Australia in next month's QBE Series in a critical phase of their build-up to the 2015 World Cup.

Former England captain Dallaglio believes winning as many matches as possible at Twickenham - the stage for all but one of their games at the tournament - between now and the Group A opener against Fiji is imperative.

And with the Springboks the only team Lancaster's England have yet to beat, Dallaglio views them as the prized scalp.

"England need to beat South Africa," BT Sport pundit Dallaglio said.

"The last time they played them at Twickenham in 2012 they were properly beaten up, but this England side is much stronger now.

"Going into the World Cup you want to make sure you can beat every side, which makes that fixture fascinating.

"To win a World Cup you probably have to play and beat two of the southern hemisphere sides.

"If England came away with two out of three southern hemisphere victories, that would show they are genuine World Cup contenders.

"Of course it would be lovely if we were Six Nations champions next year, but I'd be more concerned if they were losing at Twickenham.

"The priority has to be to win as many, if not all, their games at home. No-one likes playing the host nation.

"If they lose in Cardiff in February it wouldn't be a disaster as long as they win at Twickenham.

"If England win every game at Twickenham they'll win the World Cup. That's what home advantage gives you. Reconfirming that less than a year away would be good

"England haven't won anything, but they're a team that's getting better and better."

England are profiting from the delay in naming their elite player squad from August to October 22, a move that has produced some intriguing duels between rivals.

Among those to have argued a compelling case for selection is Wasps openside James Haskell, who is pushing hard for a back row place - possibly at the expensive of Red Rose captain Chris Robshaw.

"James is starting to be the player we know he is. He's over his injury worries and is playing exceptionally well," Dallaglio said.

"He's Wasps captain, which is a big positive for Stuart Lancaster.

"He went to New Zealand in the summer in difficult circumstances but was outstanding in that first Test and was unlucky to miss out on the second and third.

"You can't not notice the quality of his performances and I'm sure that's not been lost on the England coaches.

"He's the most decorated player in English rugby at the moment and his form has been standout. He couldn't have done any more.

"But saying that, it's an incredibly competitive position as well. The captain (Robshaw) is in the back row and he's been going okay."

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