Wallaroos drawn with England in Women's Rugby World Cup

The Wallaroos have been plunged into the most challenging of Women's Rugby World Cup draws, up against hosts and tournament favourites England at next year's tournament.

As well as facing the highest-ranked side in the world, Australia's resurgent women's team, fresh from winning the WXV2 trophy in Cape Town last weekend, will have to face the USA, who have already beaten them this year, and Samoa.

The Wallaroos have never beaten England's 'Red Roses', who have become the dominant side in the game, while the US defeated Australia 32-25 in Melbourne in May during the Pacific Four series.

After beating Canada for the WXV1 title at the weekend, England's ranking has risen to a record-high points score, emphasising the difficult task awaiting Australia coach Jo Yapp, a former England captain herself who played for them at three World Cups.

The hosts, now guided by former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, are on a 20-match winning streak, with their sole defeat in their last 51 matches being the most painful of all - the narrow 2022 World Cup final loss to New Zealand in Auckland.

In that competition, England crushed the Wallaroos 41-5 in the quarter-finals.

Australia climbed to fifth in Monday's rankings on the back of their terrific win over Scotland in South Africa on Saturday, looking a resurgent force under Yapp's guidance.

"It is going to be a tough pool, it's going to pose us questions," said England forward Marlie Packer.

"Australia have come on leaps and bounds and Jo Yapp obviously has a lot of English history, which kind of adds to the magic of the fixture."

In the draw made on Thursday (Friday AEDT), Michaela Leonard's side had wanted to avoid two-time champions England, who won the WXV1 crown in Canada last weekend, and inaugural champions USA, the world No.9 who were the top-ranked outfit among the 'band three' teams they could have drawn.

Only the top two teams from each group will get to the quarters.

The Wallaroos celebrate after their WXV2 triumph in Cape Town.

America's 'Women's Eagles' are coached by Sione Fukofuka, who spent three years as assistant coach with Rugby Australia and the Wallaroos.

Australia have only met their other opponents Samoa once before, hammering them 87-0 in 2009 in Apia. In September, the Samoans beat the Australia A side 20-17 with a last-minute penalty.

Holders and six-times champs New Zealand have been pitched in a pool alongside Japan, Spain and Ireland, who beat the Black Ferns 29-27 recently in the shock of the WXV1 tournament.

The schedule of matches for the month-long tournament will be announced next Tuesday, but the first match will be at Sunderland next August with the hosts kicking off the tournament, possibly against Australia in what would be a blockbuster opener.

If not, the Australians will face England in either of their next two matches at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton or Brighton's Amex Stadium.

WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP DRAW

* Pool A: England, Australia, USA, Samoa

* Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji

* Pool C: New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Spain

* Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil.