Tonga coach Kristian Woolf: We need to raise intensity

Tonga have risen to every challenge so far but coach Kristian Woolf expects England will provide their biggest test yet in tomorrow's Rugby League World Cup semi-final in Auckland.

The Pacific island side is unbeaten in four matches but Woolf says they'll need to raise their intensity above what was needed to claim their historic win over the Kiwis in Hamilton two weeks ago.

The 42-year-old believes the toll of that match was evident in both teams sloppy quarter-final performances, with New Zealand exiting the tournament following another embarrassing defeat to Fiji, while Tonga escaped with 24-22 win over Lebanon.

"What I expect from (England) is the level goes up again from anything we've played," said Woolf.

"Obviously the highest level we've played so far has been the New Zealand game and off the back of that both teams were flat last week and New Zealand looked as flat as we did at times.

"That's the sort of game we're expecting and we're expecting to have to be a little bit better again if we're going to come away with a win."

Despite their below par effort in Christchurch, Woolf is satisfied his team have otherwise managed to improve each week and is confident they'll find another level in front of what's expected to be a sell-out cowd at Mt Smart Stadium.

With close to 30,000 tickets already sold, the crowd is shaping up as being the biggest at a rugby league game at Mt Smart since Warriors played Manly back in their inaugural 1995 season.

Tonga have managed to blend an expansive style of play while showing great respect for the football, having completed a minimum of 80 per cent of their sets in their last three wins.

Discipline is one area of concern however and Woolf says they can't afford to gift England the type of penalties that enabled Lebanon to build momentum.

"They've risen to every challenge that's been put in front of them and I've got no doubts they'll do it again," he said.

"Our discipline is one (area of improvement) and whenever we've let ourselves down we've been ill-disciplined.

"The Lebanon game we gave away too many penalties particularly when they were coming out of their own end and that allowed them to play the footy they played.

"Against New Zealand that was certainly the case as well when we were under the pump a little bit.

"There's areas in our defence where we need to be a little better at as well and that's something the players have recognised and worked hard on this week and we've made some minor adjustments there that will help us going forward."

The side has no injury concerns with wing David Fusitu'a completing their captain's run today with no issues after rolling his ankle on Wednesday, while forward Sio Siua Taukeiaho has recovered from a knee injury that kept him sidelined last week.

They may have exceeded their own expectations by making it to within one game of the tournament final but Woolf says the enthusiasm of their fanatical supporters has been a big part of their success so far.

"It's not lost on our blokes what they've done so far," he said.

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

"A lot's been made of our fans and they are absolutely outstanding and they bring a real pride and a real passion and a real energy with them.

"That's something our blokes have fed off the whole tournament and it's something they continue to feed off."