Meeting Sam Tomkins

Last week my Mum and I met Sam Tomkins. He’s a 25 year old from England and is a Professional Rugby League player.  He spoke for an hour telling me and the Mount Wellington under 16’s about his story growing up and wanting to be a league player. So his story starts in Milton Keynes, age 7 Sam Tomkins wanted to be a Rugby League Player. He said he was not the best player out on the field and never made the rep teams.

He had two brothers one brother played with him in the Wigan Warriors and the other one plays professional league too.  In England Sam said that they finish school at 16 years old so he left school, and tried to get paid playing for Wigan development squad because he heard people were getting paid 10,000 pounds.  He went to the GM (General Manager) and asked if he could get paid to play too but the GM said “you can’t get paid but you can play for nothing” and he said he would play but he was a little down not getting paid.

Sam Tomkins found a job cutting grass which he didn’t make a lot of money.  Sam he had to bike from cutting grass to training and it took 30 minutes and by the time he got there he was already tired.  He only played 6 or 7 games in one season and then his team got into the semi finals they won it but at the end of the game there was a big fight and Sam Tomkins was standing there as water boy thinking to himself i'm gonna get a game in the end 6 people got banned and he got into the starting lineup.

He told us that he played the best he had ever played and the next year he went to the GM and said “can I be paid now” and was told “you can get 25 pounds for a win” it was still stink but it was better than nothing.  He did think about going to another club, but he really wanted to play for Wigan.

Through this year he didn’t get a lot of games again, disappointed being waterboy again, finally his moment came.  Thomas Leuluai, who played halfback was chosen to play for New Zealand in a Anzac test.  So Sam got a shot at playing as the number 7 for that weekends game.  He was so nervous, as they were playing the lowest team in the grade.  If they lost, that might be the end of his career.  His team had an amazing game and won 108 - 10.  He got 5 tries in that game and that was his debut, he said it was one of the best games of his life.  He was in the paper and had started to be notice by people as he walked around town with his mates.  Fans were asking for his signature, and he didn’t even have one.

At the age of 19 he was playing for Wigan top grade.  Through his career he had won 2 Grand Finals and 2 Challenge Cups Finals.  He enjoyed his time playing there, and even played in the English team.  Even playing for them he got in trouble when he gave the fingers to the Leeds fans during a try celebration.  He only did it cause the Leeds fans always booed him.  He was charged $10,000 pounds for that.  He said it was the best money he ever spent, but he was joking.

Coming to the Warriors was a massive move for him.  He did bring a mate with him, so he didn’t come alone.  He reckoned three more friends will be coming in October.  He was asked what sort of car did he want to own, he said an Aston Martin.  But at the moment he drives a Porsche and a Range Rover, not too bad!  He was asked about the coach change that the Warriors have, and he said it is much better now than it was with the first coach.  This coach is a lot harder and makes them do a lot of fitness if they drop the ball, especially Konrad Hurrell.

He seems to enjoy playing for the Warriors, and I think he has been doing well.  Sam said that trainings are really important and to listen and learn in that 1 hour we train.  He reckons he has picked up on different players ways of how they play.  It helps him with his game, where to run and who to be by.  He was prepared to train outside with the 16’s team, and said he would come back for a run when its not so wet.

I enjoyed that talk from Sam Tomkins, he was cool to listen to.  I did ask the question on which field he liked the most, Eden Park of Mount Smart.  He said Mount Smart is better because the crowd is closer and the atmosphere is awesome, and it gets him going.  Eden Park, fans are too far away.  

The club gave him a Mount Wellington League jersey as a thank you present.  He put it on and we all got to have a picture with him.  I also got my Warriors jersey signed, it was cool.  My Mum and I left when he did, and we got to see him drive away in his porsche, it looked awesome.