Sam Tomkins hits out at Leeds Rhinos star for “clear elbow to the head”

James Bentley has had an up and down career since he arrived at Leeds Rhinos from St Helens.

Bentley was highly sought after following his emergence at St Helens being a crucial cog as they won the 2020 Grand Final.

However, his boyhood dream led to him joining the Leeds Rhinos in 2022 but just minutes into his debut against Warrington Wolves he was sent off.

Bentley is the kind of player who doesn’t give an inch and is always in the thick of it and we saw the best of him under Rohan Smith at the end of the 2022 season.

However, he has had disciplinary problems since but was at the heart of things as the Rhinos defeated Catalans Dragons though sometimes in incidents that could have landed him in trouble namely the altercation with Tariq Sims.

Sam Tomkins says Leeds Rhinos star shouldn’t have been on the field

This was the incident that Sam Tomkins felt should have seen him sent off. This came as he assessed the impact he had on the game.

As Rohan Smith was seen talking to him, Tomkins said on Sky Sports: “I think he’s saying you’re a very lucky man. He shouldn’t have been on the field. A clear elbow to someone’s head. I don’t know what the referees were thinking in saying that was a play on.

“So yeah, I imagine Rohan Smith’s saying, ‘You got lucky, don’t do it again.'”

Asked if he’s a liability  – Jodie Cunningham said: “He can be. Look, he’s a competitor. Somebody who plays it right up to the line, sometimes the wrong side of the line. You need an enforcer in a team, he is an enforcer. If there’s some trouble on the field, he’s probably in the middle of it.

“But overall, I think he does add a lot to this Leeds side.”