YORK City Knights Ladies are set for a significant weekend of action when they square up to Wigan Warriors in Sunday's Challenge Cup quarter-final.

This fixture is first time York will play under their new director of rugby, Lindsay Anfield, as well as being streamed live and for free to an internet audience.

York earned their spot in the last eight with a spirited first-round 16-10 comeback over Wakefield Trinity at Warrington's Victoria Park.

And the Knights players have made a good first impression on former Castleford Tigers head coach Anfield, who has had good words to say thus far about her new charges' character and willingness.

Anfield, who remains an assistant coach with England, was appointed to her new post last week and is looking to polish up the York side as part of a longer-term plan to help develop the ladies game as a whole.

Sunday (noon) will be an early step in the right direction when the tie is shown on TheSportsman.com.

"It's the kind of stage we want to be on," Anfield commented.

"Last time York played Wigan, it was 42-0, so obviously the bookies' favourites are going to be Wigan.

"But our aim now is to compete in every game and put a show on.

"By not accepting anything less than the very best, with these new appointments and a slightly different approach to the game, maybe we'll step up and hopefully we'll be able to do a good job at Wigan.

"That's the aim, but I've only met the girls twice so I don't know how much of an impact I'm going to have. But hopefully it will give them that lift and that real clear direction of what's expected of them.

"The girls seem so positive about the changes. I can't fault them in the slightest - it's a superb group of girls. I couldn't have wished for better really.

"They're really responsive, really coachable, they just need a really clear direction now."

Anfield's arrival at York was announced on April 30 along with new coach Callum Windley and current Knights Men's player Adam Cuthbertson, who will serve as head of performance.

Both Windley and Cuthbertson are already well-known to Anfield, who was a colleague with the former at both Castleford and at De Lacy Academy in Knottingley.

"We've worked together on a lot of different projects," she said. "I suppose that's one of the things when there's an appointment, that you know the others' abilities.

"It's great that Callum's taken the step and he can see the potential in it."

Cuthbertson, meanwhile, proved a worthy opponent to Anfield on the touchline while he was head coach at Leeds Rhinos Ladies and Anfield was at Cas.

"Throughout 2019, we only lost one game all season," Anfield explained. "We won the League Leaders, got to the Challenge Cup final and the Grand Final.

"But Adam's Leeds team - which we'd beaten twice in the league - ended up taking both trophies off us in the finals.

"That was obviously very disappointing at the time.

"It's good now to have had the experiences we have, to put both our heads together, take the best of both and hopefully create something extra special.

"Adam's there anyway with the men's team. Obviously he's got a big passion in inclusive rugby - men's, women's and PDRL (physical disability rugby league).

"Just his experience is another plus for me going to the club, to learn from him and see how he's done things.

"He's taken three trophies from me in cup finals so it will be good to work with him instead of against him.

"We're speaking every day regarding the girls, what we want the programme to look like, and even the more intricate details of how we want to play and what sort of team we want to establish."