Danny Care may have fallen out of international favour in recent times, but Lewis Moody is convinced the Harlequins scrum-half still has plenty to offer England in the upcoming World Cup.

Care has not been included in an England squad since the second autumn international against South Africa in November with Ben Youngs starting every game since, and Richard Wigglesworth the primary option off the bench.

His form for club side Harlequins has also been patchy, although it did improve towards the end of the season, and the 28-year-old was named as part of Stuart Lancaster’s pre-World Cup training camp.

One thing playing into Care’s hands is that, unlike in previous years, England do not have a settled starting XV heading into the tournament that starts on September 18.

And Moody, who lifted the World Cup in 2003, insists that means someone like Care is in the perfect position to capitalise.

“The fact that the starting XV isn’t set in stone is why I’m excited,” said Moody, speaking at the Land Rover Experience Centre in Devon as part of the Rugby World Cup trophy tour.

“In terms of the guys who are nailed down for their spots you’d say Chris Robshaw, Jonathan Joseph, Mike Brown and at the minute George Ford but that’s about it.

“You could argue for [Joe] Launchbury and [Courtney] Lawes but then [Dave] Attwood and [George] Kruis have done well while [Geoff] Parling is also in there.

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Improvement: Danny Care's domestic form improved towards the end of last season, leading to a call up to England's pre-World Cup training camp

“I think Ben Youngs, Danny Care and then maybe Joe Simpson could have an impact from the scrum-half position.

“Danny Care has fallen a bit out of favour but I still think he has a huge amount to offer for England. He just needs the right guidance and confidence boosting to get the best out of him.”

Before England start their campaign to win a second World Cup against Fiji at Twickenham, they face two warm-up games against France and one against Ireland.

Those games should not only provide clarification as to Lancaster’s best starting XV but will also hopefully signal an upturn in form, with the Red Rose having lost six of their last 12 internationals.

That form stands in stark contrast to the 2003 World Cup triumph, when the final was the culmination of 20 months of dominance – during which time England won 22 games and lost just once.

And Moody believes it is vital that Lancaster’s troops hit their straps in the warm-up games.

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Pose: Lewis Moody with the World Cup on a hillside in front of a car

“Touch wood everybody will stay fit, Stuart will know his starting XV going into that last friendly and they’ll head into the World Cup with some real confidence having won three friendlies,” added Moody.

“But if they lose some of those warm-ups, and playing against France and Ireland is tough, that could really hurt them. Those friendly games are hugely important.”

Lewis Moody is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover is a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015 and is recruiting all 96 official mascots for the tournament as part of its 'We Deal In Real' campaign. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal