Wednesday 15 November 2017 10:34, UK
England will launch their bid to lift the Women's World Cup for the first time when they take on first-time entrants Papua New Guinea on Thursday.
The match at Cronulla's Southern Cross Stadium is part of a triple-header, with holders and hosts Australia taking on the Cook Islands and three-time winners New Zealand playing Canada.
The tournament, played on a round-robin basis with two pools of three teams, reaches a climax in Brisbane on December 2 when the final is staged as a curtain-raiser to the men's World Cup final.
RLWC2017 chief operating officer Maria Sykes said at the launch in Sydney: "To have the fifth staging of the Women's World Cup broadcast into New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the UK via the RFL website, as well as Australia, will have an immeasurable impact on the game.
"No other sport has had both men's and women's world cup finals played on the same day and on the same field."
