The master coach took aim at the island nation after several Tongan players defected from their home countries just before the tournament kicked off.

Former Kiwi Jason Taumalolo and Aussie Andrew Fifita head the list of a strong player group that helped Tonga become the first tier two side to down a leading nation after an epic 28-22 win against New Zealand last week.

And with Tonga a legitimate threat to beat Bennett’s England in Saturday’s blockbuster semi-final, the seven-time premiership-winning coach made his opinion known.   

"I didn't speak publicly about it (player defection) when it happened but the game has to look at it and we have to treat the fans with a lot more respect than we did," he said.

"Whatever country they want to play for, that's fine with me. But we need to have a look at that and find how we can make it better for everyone concerned.

"It wasn't what the game needed with the World Cup about to start, those headlines for two or three days. The boys in my opinion are entitled to play for who they want to play for but we've got to have better guidelines around it.

"The players just have to make a choice. The game needs to be in charge of the game. It can't be run by the players."

When quizzed on how he would change eligibility rules to avoid such dramas in the future, the mentor was coy.

"That's not for me to talk about here today," Bennett said. "Administrators can do that. I get paid to coach. They get paid to run the game."