Marland Yarde has a real fight on his hands to break into Stuart Lancaster’s 31-man England squad but Rugby World Cup winner Jason Robinson insists the Harlequins flyer has what it takes to shine on the big stage, writes Charlie Talbot-Smith.

After making his debut in Argentina in 2013, Yarde really cemented his arrival on the international scene with two tries in the three-Test series against New Zealand last summer.

While the two scores came in three defeats for the Red Rose, there was little doubt that Yarde was a star on the rise.

But after moving from London Irish to Quins last summer, Yarde’s domestic form dipped and he was not even included in the England squad for this year’s Six Nations.

And while Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell are the current incumbents on the wing for Lancaster, a home Rugby World Cup needs a few homegrown heroes and Yarde could be just that man according to Robinson.

“I think Marland Yarde is a very exciting player. I think he’s got probably the best feet of the wingers,” said Land Rover ambassador Robinson, speaking an event at Guy Salmon Stockport on Saturday that saw the 2015 Rugby World Cup Trophy paraded to the public.

“He’s very exciting. He loves to get involved. He’s quite a hard worker too. He’ll be looking to really work hard, really get in there, hopefully score a few tries, but make an impact on the coaches. “There’s lots of competition for the wings, so he knows he’s got a lot of work to do, but I’m sure if he’s given his chance he’ll certainly take it.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Marland Yarde play and make an impact on this Rugby World Cup.”

Yarde’s competition comes in the shape of Nowell, Watson, Jonny May, Chris Ashton and Semesa Rokoduguni, with all six battling for places in Stuart Lancaster’s final World Cup squad of 31.

“It’s going to come down to performance,” said Robinson. “It’s all about making a difference whether you’ve got the ball in hand or not, and ultimately as a winger you want to score.

“You want to get your hands on the ball, you want to take the opposition on and you want to score tries. There’s great competition and hopefully, may the best winger get the shirt.

“It’s a great opportunity for these guys, and if they get it right, if they work hard, and they score tries, they’ll create memories that will live with them forever.”

Meanwhile, Robinson expects that whoever does get the nod will face a tough test of their abilities, as England prepare to face Australia, Wales, Fiji and Uruguay in the pool stage.

He added: “For England, being in Pool A – the ‘group of death’ as everybody is calling it – realistically, you need to be finishing first in order to give yourself the best possible opportunity to get through to final.

“It’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait until September the 18 when England take on Fiji in that first game. So many people are talking about it everywhere you go.”

* Jason Robinson is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover is recruiting all 96 official mascots for Rugby World Cup 2015 as part of its ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal