More than 43,000 fans gathered at the St James' Park, expecting to see rock band Kaiser Chiefs perform prior to kick-off.

However, an embarrassing public address system failure at the stadium forced lead singer Ricky Wilson to sprint up and down the touchline to keep the spirits up.

The home fans were not completely disappointed as the hosts cruised to a 60-6 win over Samoa while Australia brushed past Fiji 42-8.

Organisers apologised, saying it "wasn't the start we wanted", and thanked fans for their patience.

"RLWC2021 would like to sincerely apologise for the disrupted Tournament Welcome, which was severely affected by technical failure," read a statement from the organisers.

"It wasn't the start we wanted but we would like to thank fans for their patience and for continuing to celebrate the teams and the tournament."

Tournament chief executive Jon Dutton added: "I take personal responsibility. I'm devastated."

Other venues for the event include Headingley in Leeds and London's Emirates Stadium, which is due to host a semi-final along with Elland Road in Leeds.

The tournament is expected to conclude on November 19.

The Women's World Cup is also being held simultaneously and will start on November 1, with the final scheduled to be held with the men's event.

The Wheelchair World Cup will begin on November 3 and will conclude on November 18.