Vickery admitted the pressure is on England to deliver against Ireland

England lost 15-9 to Scotland at the weekend and Vickery admitted more players could have joined Jonny Wilkinson in being dropped.

"A lot of us are very lucky. We need to perform because if we don't, there are people waiting in the wings," he said.

"Neither team has anything to lose so I think it's going to be pretty wild."

England coach Brian Ashton has brought in 20-year-old Wasps rising star Danny Cipriani for the talismanic Wilkinson but otherwise left his team unchanged despite a dire display against the Scots.

If Danny Cipriani doesn't perform then he won't be holding onto that jersey England captain Phil Vickey

"I think Brian and the coaches have been quite sensible," insisted Vickery.

"You can keep making wholesale changes but I think Brian and the coaches have done the right thing by saying 'give these guys the opportunity to prove themselves, because they're not bad players'.

"The pressure's on us this weekend to go out and to prove to ourselves and everyone that we can actually play a bit."

Vickery admitted it would be strange not to have long-time team-mate Wilkinson filling the fly-half role, but was full of praise for Cipriani.

"I think Danny is a natural progression in how a lot of people see that number 10 jersey going in the way that he plays," said Vickery.

Vickery (left) says Cipriani (right) is a "new style" of number 10

"He's part of the so-called new breed, new style of 10, but Jonny will, as we all well know, fight and will be doing his utmost to get back in.

"If Danny Cipriani doesn't perform then he won't be holding on to that jersey."

With Wilkinson demoted, Vickery is the only survivor from the XV which took the field for last season's record 43-13 hammering by the Irish at Croke Park.

The tight-head, who is also the only survivor from England's 2003 World Cup-winning team, says that shows England have been evolving, despite criticism they are being too conservative in trying to rebuild their team.

"There has been a huge amount of change, which people seem to kind of forget about," he said.

"When you sit back and take stock of everything there has been a massive change in this England set-up and there will me massive changes again this summer."

606: DEBATE Why just drop Jonny, surely there are a number of players in the side that faced Scotland that deserve to be dropped for the Ireland game R1989

Meanwhile, England inside centre Toby Flood openly admits he is enduring a week from hell following the defeat by Scotland.

Seeing Newcastle team-mate Wilkinson axed by England came as a shock and it was compounded by Newcastle parting company with Flood's mentor John Fletcher, who is no longer the Falcons' director of rugby.

Flood, 22, was first spotted by Fletcher, then a youth development officer, when he was just 11.

"It has been one of the worst weeks in my life, I have to admit," said Flood.

"To lose to Scotland and then find out a few days later about a guy who I have played rugby for since I was 11-years-old and literally has followed me through my career, is just devastating.

"For anyone to lose their job is bad enough, but in a professional sport where there are such close links and the guy has been such a mentor to me, it's even harder to take."