England captain Sam Tomkins talks Wane decision and his international future
Captain Sam Tomkins insists England have got it right after under-pressure boss Shaun Wane saw his contract extended.
Wane’s future was in doubt after the national side’s bitterly disappointing World Cup semi-final defeat against Samoa. Failing to even reach the final of the home tournament after he’d targeted winning it, was a major letdown and there were some calls for a new coach. But after a long review, the RFL confirmed they’ve backed the ex-Wigan chief to take England on to the 2025 World Cup in France.
Wane, 58, was appointed in 2020 but Catalans star Tomkins argued: “Shaun came into the job at a difficult time with Covid hitting. He couldn’t get his teeth straight into the job as he’d have liked. But I think he is clearly the man for the job. He put some good things in place over the World Cup. It didn’t end how we wanted it to.
“But he made it a really strong group and put changes in place which will make us a stronger team going forward. I know Shaun’s always said it’s his dream job and you need to have someone in charge who’s passionate about it like Shaun is.”
Wane will now start planning for 2025 and he could have some big decisions to make with many of his current squad now on the wrong side of 30. Full-back Tomkins turns 34 next month ahead of England’s game against France at Warrington on April 29. Tomkins admitted: “The next World Cup might be too far off for me.
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“But I’ll never retire from international rugby league. I’ll never just play club and not country. If I’m good enough to be selected, I’ll always put my hand up to play for England. It’s the proudest moment of my career playing for England. It’s the pinnacle so I’ll never pack it in.”
England captain Sam Tomkins sits dejected after the World Cup semi-final loss to Samoa (Getty Images)And he believes England have made strides forward despite the long wait for World Cup glory still going on. Tomkins added: “As a national side, we don’t get as many opportunities as we’d like to play. At club level you play 30 games in a year and you can see improvements week on week. It’s a much slower process for internationals but we’re definitely heading in the right direction. That’s clear to see.
“Another two years of prep’ going into another World Cup, we’ve got a better chance of keeping improving and going on the right trajectory. I’ve spoken to Waney since the World Cup. It was a tough loss for everyone to take, players and staff alike. It was the same for all of us. It was a tough one to get over. But we’ve got to look at the positives and move forward.”
Tomkins admits it is irritating that there is still no confirmation about who England will face at the end of the season. There’s an ongoing struggle to tie down the international calendar, not least because of pay disputes with players in the NRL, but it is hoped Wane’s side could host Tonga or Samoa. Tomkins said: “It is very frustrating for players and coaches alike.
“As a player, you don’t plan on playing internationally; you’ve got to do your job week in week out to earn that opportunity. But to have it (fixtures) set in stone is much better for preparation for the coaching staff so they can at least put things in place. It is frustrating and the only way we’ll get better as a nation is to play against the top teams more regularly. It’s no secret we don’t play the top teams as much as we’d like. We have the Exiles or Combined Nations All Stars which is about as good as prep’ as we get before we go play Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga so it’s not ideal.”
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