Sam Tomkins makes shock retirement u-turn with playing return confirmed

Three-time Super League winner Sam Tomkins has completed a shock u-turn on his retirement to return to the field with Catalans Dragons, penning a deal until the end of the 2024 season.

35-year-old Tomkins called time on an absolutely illustrious career at the end of last season having been beaten in the Grand Final at Old Trafford by former club Wigan Warriors.

Having been in Perpignan since 2019, that was his 104th, and at the time final, appearance for the Dragons.

A recurring knee issue was what saw Tomkins call time on his career, but just a few months later, he’s got his boots back off the peg and will return to action in Round 19 when Catalans host Hull FC at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Sam Tomkins makes shock retirement u-turn with playing return confirmed

Tomkins has been a regular feature on Sky Sports as a pundit this season, and it was his Sky colleague Jenna Brooks that broke the news during their pre-match build-up to St Helens’ clash with Warrington Wolves in Round 18 on Friday night.

Brooks had spoken to Tomkins via Zoom earlier in the week, and in that interview, the veteran confirmed his knee issue had eased somewhat which is why he’s agreed to return.

He said: “I’m not going to come back and say I’ve got a perfect knee, but it’s a lot better than it was for the last 12 months of me playing for Catalans last year.

“From there, Steve just said to me, ‘have a think about it’.

“I did and I got a training programme so I was going into the stadium before the players got in, and when I’ve been over in England working with Sky, I’ve been going running on my own.

“It was just to check if I could do it and at the same time to work out if it was the right decision for me.

“I came to the decision that I’m ready to go again for a little bit.”