Rugby League World Cup: Prepare for crazy scenes if Tonga go all the way, says Konrad Hurrell

Blockbusting centre Konrad Hurrell jokes that more police and even the military might be needed to contain celebrations if Tonga were to go all the way and win the Rugby League World Cup.

The 26-year-old Gold Coast Titans and former Warriors star insists his side are focused on beating England in Saturday's semifinal at Mt Smart Stadium, but allowed himself to ponder just how big the party would be if Tonga were crowned world champions.

Tongan flags selling out as Kiwis join party

Tonga have enjoyed tremendous backing throughout the tournament from their fans in the islands and New Zealand and that support is set to grow with despondent Kiwis fans now expected to jump on the bandwagon after their team's shock exit at the hands of Fiji last Saturday.

Hurrell says Tonga have already exceeded their own expectations by making it through to the final four and jokingly suggested extra police and even the help of the army might be required if their winning run continues for another fortnight.

"They might need to bring some more police officers and the army to look after the people here," laughed Hurrell.

"It would be a big occasion if we won the World Cup. Obviously, that was our first quarter-final last week and this is our first semifinal as well - imagine if we make the final, it would be crazy.

"That would be good but we've got to knock out England as well to make the final."

Hurrell called on all New Zealanders to show their support for the team in red, joking that more than half of Auckland's population descends from Tonga.

Tournament organisers report ticket sales are tracking well and although plenty of seats are still available at the 30,000-seat Mt Smart Stadium and it's hoped a near-capacity crowd will be on hand for the sudden-death clash.

"I'd say probably 60 per cent of people in Auckland are Tongan, that's why most Kiwis would support Tonga," Hurrell joked.

"You've seen the flags and how happy the Tongan community is and they pretty much cover the whole of Auckland, so that's one reason Kiwis should support Tonga."

King Tupou VI will attend the match and although the Tongan players are excited about the prospect of meeting his majesty, they were doing their best to treat the occasion as just another game.

"It will be a blessing for the team to meet the King but at the same time, it is a special occasion and we've got to perform on the weekend.

"Obviously it's a big thing to meet the King, but it's another big game for us this weekend so we're still focusing on that first."

After initially being overwhelmed with the reaction from fans when the side arrived in New Zealand last month, the Tongan players have since grown used to the extra attention and deny there is any added pressure on the shoulders going into the weekend.

"We're used to it now. The first couple of weeks there was a lot of pressure, we didn't know it was that big with the supporters.

"It's normal now and win or lose our supporters will still be there.

"We're already proud of what we've done - our main goal was to make it to the quarter-finals but now it's the final, so hopefully we'll get to take it this year."

Hurrell also expects Fiji to test reigning champions Australia when they meet in Friday's first semifinal in Brisbane - if they can reproduce the special effort that marked their 4-2 win over New Zealand in Wellington.

"You never know, the flying Fijians they have been playing really well.

"They came up with a big win against New Zealand last week and you just never know what they'll bring.

"We're the same as them - you just never know if we can bring our A-games or not, so I reckon they'll give the Aussies a good go as well."