 Tony Smith (left) won the Grand Final with Leeds but will coach England at the World Cup |
The start of the 2008 Super League season has been brought forward by one week to give England more time to prepare for the World Cup. Super League XIII will now start on 3 February, with the Grand Final taking place at Old Trafford on 4 October.
The move gives England coach Tony Smith three weeks to prepare his team ahead of the World Cup in Australia.
Meanwhile, a full round of Super League games will be staged again in Cardiff over the weekend of 3-4 May.
Millennium Magic opens on 3 May with promoted Castleford against local rivals Wakefield, followed by Huddersfield's clash with Warrington and the Leeds-Bradford derby.
Harlequins and Catalans meet in the opening fixture on 4 May, followed by the Hull derby and St Helens' clash with Wigan.
An aggregate crowd of 58,831 watched this year's inaugural event in May.
England's World Cup campaign will start with a fixture against Papua New Guinea in Townsville on 25 October.
Wales, Scotland and Ireland are also hoping to seal a berth in the 10-man tournament in qualifying matches over the next five weeks.
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