Sam Tomkins’ 6 most iconic Super League moments as Wigan Warriors icon comes out of retirement
Sam Tomkins is back for one last dance in Super League – and it’s fair to say anything he does over the remainder of this season will only be adding to a sensational career highlight reel.
The Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons legend will return for the Dragons for the remainder of this season, answering the call to come out of retirement and help drive their push for a second consecutive Grand Final.
Responsible for some of the modern era’s most iconic moments, these are Tomkins‘ finest moments in rugby league shirt..
Record-breaking debut
Having being touted for success from a young age in Wigan’s academy, Tomkins was handed his first-team debut in 2008: and he marked it with a moment of history.
In a sign of things to come over the next 15 years, Tomkins’ debut in the Challenge Cup at Whitehaven saw Wigan win 106-8 – and Tomkins scored five of the tries.
In doing so, he became the first player in rugby league history to score five tries on debut.
2010 Grand Final win
This just has to be in his greatest moments, doesn’t it? His first major piece of silverware. Two years on from his first-team debut, Tomkins was now a key member of Wigan’s team, having transitioned from a halfback into a fullback.
When you think of that Wigan team in 2010, you think of Tomkins and his dazzling yellow boots. At this point, everyone in the northern hemisphere knew he was going to have a special career at the highest level. He was untouchable at that stage.
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Doing the double in 2013
2013 was a stunning year for Tomkins and Wigan as a whole, with the Warriors winning the Super League and Challenge Cup double. It was Tomkins’ final season in his first spell with the Cherry and Whites before heading to the NRL with New Zealand Warriors.
Tomkins scored in Wigan’s 16-0 win over Hull FC at Wembley that year, and started at fullback in both the Challenge Cup and Grand Finals. He was sensational in that 2013 season.
Becoming England captain
Tomkins has won 29 caps for England on the international stage, representing his country in the 2013 and 2021 Rugby League World Cup tournaments as well as playing in the 9s World Cup in 2019.
And perhaps one of the proudest moments in his career came in 2021, when he was named as England’s new captain by head coach Shaun Wane following the retirement of Sean O’Loughlin.
The Milton Keynes-born fullback captained England at the 2021 World Cup on home soil, with England falling to Samoa in the semi-finals at the Emirates.
TWO Man of Steel awards
Only four players have won the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award more than once. Tomkins, Paul Sculthorpe and Andy Farrell have won it twice whilst Ellery Hanley, arguably Great Britain’s best-ever player, has won it three times.
Tomkins won the award at opposite ends of his career – almost a decade apart in 2012 and 2021 – in a nod to his incredible longevity. Tomkins’ style of play had changed drastically over those nine years, which highlights just how much talent he possesses.
The perfect Perpignan farewell
Up to now, it looked as though Tomkins’ final moment in a Catalans shirt in Perpignan would be the legendary try – and celebration – that took the Dragons to another Super League Grand Final.
With last season’s play-off semi-final against St Helens firmly in the balance, Tomkins stepped up when it mattered most to score a sensational try, before turning his back to the camera to show his name like he did all those years earlier in another memorable celebration.
It looked like the perfect way to bow out in Perpignan. Now, he gets the chance to write one more chapter in his incredible career.
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