England have 'a ton of work to do' - Graham Henry

England fullback Mike Brown during the opening match, of Pool A match between Fiji and England held at Twickenham Stadium. Photo / AP

Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry has described Ireland as "serious contenders" for the World Cup but was less impressed with England.

Writing in the Guardian, Henry said England looked to be concentrating on defence against Fiji, to the detriment if other areas in their game.

"The lineout and rolling maul were as you would expect from England and their best attacking ploy but unfortunately for them that's where it ended," he said.

Henry described England's scrum as inconsistent, and said they played at "half pace and were both lateral and predictable" for the first hour, before replacements changed the game.

"They have a ton of work to do before the games against Wales and Australia," he said.

Henry said Ireland had "a very efficient set piece and attack structure" against easy-beats Canada. Of the other contenders, France lacked skill against Italy but "seemed to be developing confidence and they will be dangerous."

He nominated Sonny Bill Williams as man-of-the-match in New Zealand's win over Argentina.