After leaving Catalans Dragons, Joel Tomkins is back in rugby union but his new boss has revealed Wigan Warriors would happily hire the dual-code coach.
Appointed as the defence coach for Gloucester for the upcoming rugby union season, the club’s head coach has revealed that Wigan Warriors’ Matt Peet would ‘have him (back) straight away’ if Tomkins were to make a return to rugby league.
The ex-Wigan player has moved between the codes as both a player and coach, initially leaving Wigan Warriors in 2011 after to take up a role with Saracens. He’d play the 15-man code for three years and made three appearances for England but then returned to rugby league, re-joining Wigan before later signing with Hull KR and Catalans Dragons.
It was at Catalans that he got his first taste of being a head coach but he had coached in the youth set-up at Wigan previously. It was confirmed earlier in April that Tomkins had stepped away from Catalans citing personal reasons.
He’s since been confirmed at Gloucester and head coach George Skivington has revealed just how highly-thought of Tomkins is in both codes, particularly by Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet.
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Wigan Warriors coach gives huge backing to Joel Tomkins
Per RugbyPass, Skivington explained the huge acclaim that Tomkins is regarded in with the 39-year-old’s character and ambition hailed.
He said: “I know a lot of the rugby league guys, especially at Wigan and had a lot of conversations about Joel as a character, what he brings, and then obviously met with Joel and was really impressed with him as an individual. He’s ambitious.
“He regrets leaving union all those years ago. He likes rugby union and is going to move his family down here from up north, settle into the area, and rip into it. There is someone really strong and hungry.”
Admitting that the appointment is a ‘gamble’ given Tomkins’ lack of experience coaching rugby union, Skivington noted the success of past cross-code appointments whilst also revealing insight into what Matt Peet thinks of Tomkins.
Skivington revealed: Matty Peet from Wigan couldn’t speak highly enough of him as a character. And said if he wanted to come and coach at Wigan, he’d have him straight away.
“He has played rugby union for England. So he knows how to play rugby union, and I think we all start coaching somewhere.
“He’s obviously got experience in rugby league, but I think there’s a punt with everything we do. There’s a punt in bringing in someone who’s older, experienced, who maybe isn’t as hungry to learn as there is bringing in someone hungry.”
