Sam Tomkins says England will have to produce a faultless display to beat Australia in tomorrow’s World Cup final.
The full-back, who was left out of Wayne Bennett’s 24-man squad for the tournament, will be watching from home in the hope they can defy the odds in Brisbane.
England are huge underdogs against the Kangaroos as they appear in their first World Cup final for 22 years, however Tomkins believes the Aussies are beatable.
“It needs to be a 10 out of 10 performance if we are in with a chance,” he told Wigan Today. “They are a better side than us. But it’s a one-off game and favourites don’t always win.
“The path to the final has been pretty kind but it’s a tough task, and Australia have proved again they are the benchmark. But there’s no reason why we can’t win.”
Despite shoo-in full-back Zak Hardaker failing to make the squad following a failed drugs test, Tomkins was overlooked by Bennett who instead opted for Jonny Lomax and Stefan Ratchford.
The 28-year-old will instead be part of the BBC’s commentary team for tomorrow’s final and he’ll become an England supporter for 80 minutes in the hope they can bring back the trophy.
“I’m proud to be English and whether I’m playing or not, I’d love for us to win the World Cup,” said Tomkins.
“When you’re not playing, you become a fan – it was the same when I wasn’t at Wigan, I was still a fan, and now I’m not in the England side I’m an England fan. I can’t wait for it.”
