Samoa’s second-half collapse against the Kiwis in their Rugby League World Cup opener has made it crystal clear where they need to improve in their second pool match against Tonga in Hamilton on Saturday evening.

Trailing 10-4 at halftime against New Zealand last weekend, Toa Samoa folded in the second spell as the Kiwis ran away with a 38-8 win.

Samoa’s assistant coach Sean Long says it’s obvious where his team will need to improve against an in-form Mate Ma’a Tonga, who demolished Scotland 50-4 in their opening game in Cairns.

“You can’t win a football game completing at 15 per cent in the second half, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” Long said on Friday.

“You could play against under-15s and they’ll beat you. We know what we can do, and we know where to sort it – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to sort that one out.”

Tonga haven’t beaten Samoa since 2013, but have been boosted by the addition of former Kiwis enforcer Jason Taumalolo, and also boast NRL stars Will Hopoate, Andrew Fifita, Daniel Tupou and Konrad Hurrell.

Long says first and foremost, Samoa will need to deliver an 80-minute performance on Saturday in Hamilton.

He wants to see an improved kicking game from his team as they look to get in behind the big Tongan forwards, a better completion rate, and more variety on their last-tackle plays.

“We didn’t come off the field scratching our heads thinking ‘where did we go wrong her, how do we fix it?’

“It’s pretty simple – we need to keep hold of the ball, build some pressure and finish our sets a little bit better.”

Long admits Tonga will be on a high following their big win over Scotland, but believes Toa Samoa can match them.

“We watched the Tongan boys play Scotland the other day, and it was outstanding,” he said.

“They’ve set the benchmark and we’ve got to go with them this week.”