Rugby League World Cup: Biggest and most inclusive tournament ever - but is that enough for England?

The global sports media giant is in the process of revamping the domestic game but will need help throughout its 12-year strategic partnership with the Rugby Football League.

A successful home World Cup would light the blue touch paper.

Success can be measured in different ways, from the legacy left behind in local communities to progress on the pitch.

As heartening as it is to see funds being pumped into the grassroots game, only a trophy will do if the sport is to grow in this country.

With a higher profile than the women’s and wheelchair teams, Shaun Wane's side are in the best position to give the English game the shot in the arm it has long craved.

First things first, England's men must hit the ground running against Samoa in the opening match at St James’ Park to pique the nation's interest.

All 61 games across the three tournaments will be broadcast live on free-to-air television but the BBC would face a battle to attract viewers should England suffer defeat on day one.

While it would be no disgrace to lose to a star-studded Samoa outfit featuring five NRL Grand Final winners, the hosts and the tournament in general would struggle to recover.

On the flip side, a first Samoa win against England would do wonders for the international game at the start of what is widely considered the most competitive tournament ever.

Five teams could realistically lift the trophy at Old Trafford on November 19 with Samoa and Tonga threatening to overthrow traditional powerhouses Australia and New Zealand, the only nations to have won the competition since Great Britain's last success in 1972.

England have traded punches with the southern hemisphere heavyweights in the intervening period without landing a decisive blow.

The heartbreaking 6-0 defeat by Australia in the last tournament was the fifth time England had fallen at the final hurdle under different guises.

Five years have passed yet the same questions are being asked of Wane's side ahead of the latest edition.

The main one is: do England have the half-backs to unlock the very best defences?

The answer was no in 2017 and the loss of St Helens star Jonny Lomax on the eve of this tournament was a hammer blow.

Wane will live or die by his decision to back his former Wigan Warriors half-back George Williams, fresh from an underwhelming season in Super League with Warrington Wolves.

The England boss has spent the year pumping up Williams' tyres and now is the time for him to deliver.

Traditionally England's strength has been in the pack and that appears to be the case once again, even if there is an Alex Walmsley-sized hole.

Another criticism of England teams of the past has been a lack of genuine strike on the edges but in youngsters Dom Young and Herbie Farnworth, they have two players with impressive tryscoring records in the NRL.

Would it be a stretch to say England's hopes rest on the shoulders of Jack Welsby?

The St Helens starlet has yet to have a competitive hit-out for his country but he has shown in Super League that he has all the tools and is a player who relishes the big stage.

If, as expected, he starts the tournament on the bench, he will not be there for long.

When all is said and done, England simply have to find a way to beat Samoa.

Win and England are near certainties to top Group A and face the second-placed side in Group D, likely to be Papua New Guinea; lose and Wane's men would be on a collision course with Tonga in the quarter-finals.

England's challenge is to build momentum and get the whole country behind them, which is easier said than done when it comes to rugby league.

The country does respond to success, as evidenced in the summer when the Lionesses were roared on to Women's Euro 2022 glory.

If the England teams at the Rugby League World Cup receive a fraction of that groundswell of support in November, it will mean Wane's men did their job on the opening day against Samoa.

It is set to be the biggest and most inclusive tournament yet but that is not enough on its own – English rugby league needs a successful brand.