Liam Farrell hopes the Rugby League World Cup will introduce the sport to a new audience

The second-rower will miss the tournament through injury but remains excited to see how it all unfolds.

Farrell hopes the quality on show will help to introduce the game to a new audience.

He said: “The first thing that comes to mind is, you’re playing against the best players from all over the world.

“That’s the stage you want to be on, because you want to test yourself at the highest level, and this gives you the opportunity to do that.

“The fact that it’s in England, I’d expect a massive turnout, and a massive following.

“I think Newcastle is close to selling out, so I think that will be an amazing experience for anyone who hasn’t played in an England shirt.

“It’ll be something to remember.

“One of the biggest things about the whole World Cup is, we can get a bigger audience and get people involved who probably haven’t watched the game before.

“Hopefully that will be the case because we’ve got a great opportunity to showcase rugby league, and some of the best players we’ve got.

“If we can get the fans excited then it will be a really good few weeks for us.”

Farrell states it will be important for the England squad to bond during the tournament.

“You have to get used to mixing with other people,” he added.

“It’s very easy to stay in your cliques and bubbles from your club rugby but one thing Waney (Shaun Wane) has been big on is mixing with players from other clubs.

“You want everyone to enjoy each other’s company.”