The Rugby League World Cup is here: and so too is a different version of the game than what Super League supporters may be used to in a number of ways.

The tournament is going to be played under NRL rules and of course, it wouldn’t be rugby league if the two leading competitions in the club game didn’t play to variants when it comes to the rule sets in play.

Fortunately, Love Rugby League has got you covered. Here’s all the tweaks and changes you’ll see over the next month compared to what happens in Super League..

The bench

It’s already been covered in great detail – but yes, one startling change for Super League fans is that there’s a six-man interchange bench in the World Cup, compared to four in regular domestic rugby over here.

Within that six, you can only use four players – which means there’s scope for variety but also a plethora of different ways to go about introducing players based on in-game situations.

Brian McDermott has already laid out what he’ll do; go with three forwards off the bat and leave one spare. So in the case of the team to face Tonga, that would be Ethan Havard, Sam Walters and Luke Thompson – with one of Jez Litten, Matty Ashton and Jack Welsby being the fourth and final inclusion.

But McDermott will hold his nerve slightly and see what happens before deciding who to bring on. It’s a pretty radical change for fans of the English game – and one which might become a regular thing if the NRL partnership goes through, with the Aussies looking to align the rule sets.

Two-point drop goals

Another big difference is that we’ll be playing with the two-point drop goal ruling we see in the NRL, but not in Super League.

In short, any successful attempt at a drop goal that comes from outside an opposition’s 40-metre line will be awarded double points. It’s a popular move that has helped create some real drama in the NRL.

And organisers obviously hope it’ll do the same in the World Cup.

The six again ruling

Currently in Super League, if you are penalised by the referee you are often given a set restart.

But in the NRL, it is a mandatory ruling that any infringement in the ruck inside a team’s own 20-metre zone does not yield a live six again, it produces a full penalty which allows a team to kick for touch and alleviate pressure.

That has been done to prevent teams slowing down the play when opposition sides are attempting to come out of yardage.

It’s a tweak that won’t be noticed by many on the naked eye, but it’s definitely going to make a big difference to what happens in-game.

No green cards

Finally, and this was something that was a point of debate going into the Ashes last year, there will be no application of a green card ruling like we see in Super League.

“I think that’s a very strange rule that the RFL use over here, trying to call someone out for faking it,” Kevin Walters said of the rule this time last year when the Kangaroos were preparing to face England.

If the doctor enters the field of play and forces the game to be stopped by the referee, then the player who requires treatment has to leave the field for two minutes.

But it’s something that won’t be live over the next month.