Ex-Wigan Warriors man Sam Tomkins has explained what he thinks should be removed from the sport of rugby league.
The 2023 Grand Final defeat to Wigan Warriors, where he spent most of his career, was billed as his final game when it happened.
There was even a documentary made called ‘Tomkins: The Last Chance’ about his ‘final’ season in his playing career, and he seemed to be settling into post-playing life as a Sky Sports pundit.
However, his return, with Catalans Dragons, will now also see him play on during the 2025 season.
Despite this, he’s still doing plenty of work for Sky Sports, and he has given his thoughts on something that should change about the sport.
Sam Tomkins on what he thinks should be removed from rugby leagueCredit: Imago Images
Speaking on The Bench Podcast with Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin, he explained one thing that he thinks should be removed: “Water carriers and physios.
“I’m sick of seeing the certain teams that will send on two physios and a water boy, and they’re constantly on the field.”
It’s a phenomenon almost exclusively reserved for rugby league, due to the nature of how the ball moves through the field.
He continued: “They’ve all got an earpiece in. And some clubs have been warned for it, they’re supposed to be going on to check a player or whatever. And you see it all the time as teams that just have them on the field.
“I feel like when we’re watching from a stand, when you look on that field, you want to see blue against white.
“On TV, it’s like you’ve got the close in of the tackle back and you can’t see it, but when you’re in a stadium, you look on and you’ve just got like four or five orange shirts dotted about. I feel like, they shouldn’t come on the field unless someone’s injured.”
He also suggested that the messages from the coaches that they relay aren’t needed, saying: “Well I think you’ve done all your work in the week, haven’t you? And when you’re on a field, there’s only so many messages you get.”
