Recently England captain Sam Tomkins confirmed he would be retiring at the end of the current Super League season and many assumed that meant that England’s Rugby League World Cup semi-final defeat to Samoa was his last.
However, it seems that Tomkins could have one last hoorah with England with Shaun Wane yesterday telling BBC Sport that he wants players like Tomkins and Huddersfield Giants star Chris Hill to help the next crop of stars develop into international stars.
“There will be new faces and there will be lots of them,” Wane confirmed.
“But I’ve got a lot of respect for those players and what they did in the World Cup, and I don’t want to start totally afresh and bring just young players into a new camp.
“I want our existing players like Chris Hill – who’s the other side of 30 – and Sam Tomkins having an influence on informing those players about how to train, their actions and the detail of what’s important to me.
“That’s going to be a big help to me going forward.”
So it seems Tomkins could be included in Shaun Wane’s next England squad despite his impending retirement.
England take on France in April before an expected series against Tonga in the autumn.
Wane is preparing for the 2025 World Cup which will take place in France.
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