League: Tonga's King Tupou jets in for England semi-final clash

Tongan fans showing support. Photo / Getty Images

If Tonga need any reminder of the magnitude of Saturday's Rugby League World Cup semi-final against England, they need only look upwards.

Because nestled amongst a pulsating Mate Ma'a-dominated crowd at Mount Smart Stadium will be a royal reminder of how far they've come.

The King of Tonga, Tupou VI, will shortly touch down on the Shaky Isles for the Cup crunch match, travelling from his Nuku'alofa base.

"The biggest game in their country's history, their biggest sporting event ever, the King of Tonga is coming. Let's see if we can get the Queen over?" England assistant coach Denis Betts said wryly on Friday.

His Majesty's arrival in Auckland throws a fairytale World Cup run from Mate Ma'a - with its fair share of giant slaying - into sharp focus.

Ranked 11th in the world at the start of the Cup, few expected a Tongan semi- final run - despite the recruitment of tier-one defectors Jason Taumalolo, David Fusitu'a, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma'u and Andrew Fifita.

Yet they've repeatedly produced the goods when it mattered.

Clinical first-up wins over Samoa and Scotland put Mate Ma'a on a collision course with New Zealand for top spot in Pool B, which they duly nailed.

And, armed with the certainty of avoiding Cup favourites Australia until the final, they went on to secure a final-four berth with a 24-22 win over Lebanon.

Tongan head coach Kristian Woolf - who was quick to label his side's win over the Kiwis as the finest moment in the country's sporting history - said his tight-knit group were perfectly aware of their achievements.

But they weren't ready to settle for that just yet.

They needed to rise to two final challenges to claim the Cup - first against the Wayne Bennett-coached England, and then a likely final against the Kangaroos.

But to do so, they'd also need to improve upon their Cedars display, having allowed opposing halves Robbie Farah and Mitchell Moses to run amok.

"It's not lost on our blokes, what they've done so far. Tonga's never been to a quarter-final, never been to this part either - we don't have to talk about it too much because they all understand," Woolf said.

"They're just really excited about what's in front of them this weekend, and I think that's the best way to approach it.

"I speak for everyone when I say we don't want to go home yet."

Both sides are blessed with good health heading into the Auckland encounter, with Kevin Brown and Sam Burgess passing fitness tests for England and bullish prop Taukeiaho overcoming a long-irksome knee issue.

Betts anticipated a mano-a-mano tussle, with two big packs - and NRL stars like Burgess, James Graham, Taumalolo and Fifita - seeking the ascendancy.

Tonga could even source a little royally-derived motivation.

"They've ridden that high, the emotion, for the two games - now had a bit of a setback and they'll come out fighting," Betts said.

"We know what's on the line."

- NZN