With a slow start to the defence of their Super League title and continued uncertainty over whether Shaun Edwards will take charge of the club next year, this has already been a strange couple of months for anyone associated with Wigan Warriors. And it is about to get a whole lot stranger this weekend.
“It’s been my home for so many years so it’s obviously going to be odd,” admits Sam Tomkins as he prepares to return to Wigan as an opposition player for the first time.
After nine years with the Warriors across two spells – winning three league titles in the process – Tomkins will be in the visitors’ changing room for the Catalans Dragons.
His switch to the south of France at the end of last season caught many off guard, but five months after helping Wigan win the Super League title in his final game before uprooting his family to cross the Channel, it is clear the 30-year-old is in no doubt it was the right time to part ways.
“There was a lot of change going on at the club at the end of last year and I had a feeling it was time for me to move on,” he says. “After the season started, I began to feel like I wanted a change for me and for my family.” Just as important as winning trophies for Tomkins was the opportunity Perpignan and a new culture provided: plus the chance to build on the history Catalans created last year in winning the Challenge Cup. “The first priority when weighing up whether to leave was what was happening on the field at any new club,” he adds.
“I’d already signed before they won the cup but I knew then they were a good fit for me. I’d worked with [the head coach] Steve McNamara before with England and it just felt like a great match for where I want to be at this stage of my career.
“The transition has been smoother than I thought, too. My wife is loving it, the kids still think they’re on holiday and Rex, my oldest, is picking up some French already. The French players are helping us all settle in and it’s been fantastic.”
Tomkins is undisputedly one of the most talented players of his generation, as his success with Wigan proves. Some suggested his motivation for the Catalans switch were financially-motivated – but it is clear from the full-back’s tone that he has no intentions of quietly winding down his career in Catalonia. “I’ve played some good rugby over the last 11 years but I still believe I’ve got better stuff left in me,” Tomkins says. “The style we play here … that’s going to help me express myself. It’s a perfect fit.”
With players such as Tomkins – plus their head coach, Shaun Wane – leaving in the wake of Wigan’s Grand Final success over Warrington last year, the full-back returns to a very different-looking side on Sunday. These are turbulent times: Wigan have only two wins from their first seven games and Edwards is looking less likely to take charge at Wigan in 2020. “They’ll click for sure, I just hope it’s not for another week,” Tomkins adds.
“There’s obviously a lot of stuff happening and when there’s significant changes, there’s always a settling-in period. They’ve had key players leave, the coach has gone, but they’re definitely going to be there or thereabouts come the end of the year. They’ve had a slow start but people make mountains out of molehills when it comes to Wigan. I’m looking forward to it, it’s a good challenge for us as a team and I’m excited to play against a lot of good mates.”
And how does Tomkins expect to be welcomed when he returns home on Sunday? “I hope it’ll be a good reaction … but I’m thick-skinned enough to deal with it,” he says. As has been the case with the boo-boys Tomkins has faced throughout the majority of his career, if there are a few heckles, do not be surprised if he manages to silence them.