Rugby League World Cup 2017: What are the home nations' prospects?

This World Cup represents a glorious opportunity for England - a place in the final will be the least of their expectations.

But to lift the Paul Barriere Trophy in Brisbane on 2 December will almost certainly mean beating Australia.

Given that three Queensland legends - captain and hooker Cameron Smith, full-back Billy Slater and half-back Cooper Cronk - could be making an emotional farewell to the international game in their state capital that day, that's going to be a tough ask.

But to begin at the beginning, as Dylan Thomas wrote. A measure of England's likely impact on this tournament will be taken in the very first game.

Wayne Bennett's side face Australia in Friday's opening match in Melbourne, and it's a contest they have put plenty of focus on.

Beating the Aussies, and expected wins against their other Group A rivals, Lebanon and France, should give England the easier passage through the tournament.

That said, given the powerhouse look of both Samoa and Tonga, who are both in Group B and could face England in the knockout stage, there will be no gimmes.

Topping Group A, though, would give England the advantage of a semi-final in Brisbane, before the final in the same city a week later. They would avoid having to travel to Auckland and have more time for recovery. Hence the importance of the opening game.

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Keep an eye out for Currie

England lost agonisingly to New Zealand at the last World Cup in 2013 - and once again their strength will undoubtedly be in their forwards.

Led by Australia's National Rugby League-based stars Sam Burgess, James Graham, Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead, and supplemented by a Super League artillery that includes Scott Taylor, Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Sean O'Loughlin, it's a pack that oozes power, size and no lack of skill.

Hodgson is the likely starter in the key position of hooker, but St Helens veteran James Roby will push him all the way.

The halves appeared to be a headache for coach Wayne Bennett in last year's Four Nations, but by switching combinations throughout that tournament he is likely to now know which pairing he can settle on.

The popular wisdom is that when the teams run out in Melbourne for the tournament's opening game, it will be the Gareth Widdop, who plays for St George Illawarra Dragons and was named in the NRL team of the year, at stand-off with Castleford's Man of Steel Luke Gale at scrum-half.

Bennett has picked only two wingers, so Leeds Rhinos' Ryan Hall and Huddersfield Giants' Jermaine McGillvary select themselves, but it's in the centres where it gets interesting.

Ben Currie is fit again and could have a big impact at the World Cup

Warrington's Ben Currie is a superstar in the making. The 23-year-old played only a handful of games last season because of injury but, even so, may get the nod on the left, rather than in his usual position of the second row. He is being tipped to be one of the standout players of the tournament, before he has even made his England debut.

His Warrington and England team-mate Kevin Brown says: "He's got skill, speed, power, physicality - he's got everything. But probably the best thing about Ben is his attitude and dedication.

"He can do stuff other people can't and he loves doing it."

Had Zak Hardaker been available, he might have been a possibility at left centre but that is no longer an option as he serves a ban for failing a drugs test. Right centre will be Leeds Rhinos' Kallum Watkins, with St Helens' Jonny Lomax at full-back.

A huge task for Scotland

Scotland go into the tournament ranked fourth in the world on the back of making the quarter-finals in 2013 and holding New Zealand to a thrilling 18-18 draw in last year's Four Nations.

But they face an enormous test in their group, where they come up against New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga. They are fourth favourites in a group that will see the top three qualify for the quarter-finals.

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Tonga look like they could have a special tournament now star names such as thunderous forward Jason Taumalolo and the equally imposing prop Andrew Fifita have chosen to play for them ahead of New Zealand and Australia respectively.

Samoa were immense in the last Four Nations down under, edged out 14-12 by the Kiwis and scoring 26 points in a narrow defeat against England.

Despite the absence of some big names and a pre-tournament feeling that they are in a bit of disarray, New Zealand still have players such as the mercurial Shaun Johnson to help them pack a punch.

The presence of players such as Jason Taumalolo in the Tonga team does not make life easier for Scotland

Getting out of Group B would be an incredible feat for the Scots - not that the tag of being outsiders is getting coach Steve McCormack down.

"We've been written off a lot. In 2008 no-one gave us a chance of winning a game, never mind get through to the quarter-finals," he told me.

"We want to do something special and that's the message we'll be giving to the players going into the tournament."

Scotland's ambitions have been hugely dented with the withdrawal because of injury of three of their highest-profile players - Peter Wallace, Kane Linnett and Lachlan Coote, all of whom play in the NRL.

Can Wales or Ireland survive PNG test?

Only one of Wales or Ireland can make the knockout stages. They, along with Papua New Guinea, are in Group C and only the winners will progress.

Both must travel to Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, where rugby league is the national sport and followed with fanatical passion.

"That will be a life experience as far as I'm concerned," said Wales coach John Kear. "Not many from the northern hemisphere have had the privilege of going to PNG and playing in the national stadium.

"We know it will be difficult and very hostile but we relish that and we're really looking forward to it."

Each team in Group C must also play a cross-group game against a side from Group D, and Wales seem to have drawn the short straw in coming up against Fiji, who have 18 of their 24-man squad playing in the NRL.

Wales have also had some late withdrawals, but include in their squad two of the game's brightest young talents - St Helens hooker Morgan Knowles and back Regan Grace.

Both made their Wales debuts before they had appeared for Saints. Port Talbot-born Grace has been making headlines with his try-scoring exploits - 11 from 24 games - and Knowles is being tipped to be one of Super League's best back-row forwards within the next couple of years.

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Ireland had a fine time of it in the last World Cup down under in 2008, when they reached the last eight, and Mark Aston's team will need to recreate that same team spirit.

Wigan's Michael McIlorum at hooker and Wakefield's Liam Finn in the halves give them some real quality.

Yet it may come down to the match between Ireland and Wales in Perth on 12 November to see which team go through for what they both hope will be a quarter-final meeting with England.

You can follow the fortunes of your favourite team with live match notifications sent straight to your phone or tablet via the BBC Sport app. Line-up, kick-off, score, half-time and full-time options are available for all teams participating at the World Cup.