Any team including Tigers and England legends Martin Johnson and Dusty Hare is sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

The rugby stars have just begun an epic walk from the game's ancestral home to its current one in support of one of its bravest personalities.

The Walk4Matt team is raising cash for Matt Hampson, the promising Leicester and England player who was paralysed in a scrum accident in 2005, aged just 20.

England team manager Johnson and Hare, who holds the world record for points in first-class rugby, took the first steps on the 110-mile journey along the Grand Union Canal from Rugby to Twickenham stadium yesterday morning.

Along the way, the walk will joined by stars including Bill Beaumont, Lawrence Dallaglio, Graham Rowntree, Keith Wood, Harry Ellis and Rory Underwood.

All money raised will go to the Matt Hampson Trust and SpecialEffect charity, of which he is patron.

The trust was set up to raise the millions of pounds needed to provide Matt with round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

The team expects to complete its journey next Saturday and arrive in London in time for the climax of the English rugby season – the Premiership final.

Matt, now 24, who will accompany the group on one of 11 support barges travelling alongside, said he continued to be overwhelmed by the "tremendous" support he has received from "the rugby family".

He said: "Ever since my accident, I have had such great support and I feel very privileged and humble for that. They have always been behind me – not just Leicester Tigers but everybody in rugby."

The walk has been backed by all 12 Guinness Premiership clubs.

During the trek, which takes place in eight stages, the group will make regular stops, with events organised at each of their destinations.

Matt hoped rugby fans across the country will join in.

He said: "I am very much looking forward to the fun and banter with rugby fans on the walk and us all coming together on the pitch before the final."

Dusty Hare, who plans to walk the full distance, first suggested a fund-raising walk for Matt two years ago.

He said: "Hopefully, this will be the start of many more walks to come as I think it is something that will grow.

"Matt is a very special person who constantly remains optimistic about life and we simply want to do what we can to support him."

Former Tigers and England lock forward Martin Johnson took part in the first leg of the walk, between Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, near Rugby, in Warwickshire, to Weedon, in Northamptonshire.

He said: "The camaraderie is the great thing about rugby and time and again that is shown by events such as this.

"Matt is an incredible young man and his courage is a huge motivation to us all in the rugby world and beyond."