Magic Memories: Sam Tomkins

Sam Tomkins will continue his 2023 farewell tour at St James' Park this weekend with his last Magic appearance, more than 14 years since his first - and how appropriate that the Catalans Dragons team he has served with such distinction in the closing years of his career should be facing Wigan Warriors, in a mouthwatering second match of the weekend on Saturday afternoon.

Tomkins made his Magic debut for Wigan against St Helens at Murrayfield in 2009, starting on the interchange bench with his elder brother Joel in a Warriors team which had Cameron Phelps starting at full-back, Amos Roberts on the wing, George Carmont at centre, and Stuart Fielden at prop.

A lot of water has flowed under a lot of bridges since that day in Edinburgh, when Wigan won 38-18 - and despite his two year NRL stint with the New Zealand Warriors, Tomkins has accumulated more Magic experience than most, playing under the Millennium Stadium roof in Cardiff in a season-opening weekend in February 2011, then enjoying a couple of wins in the Etihad sunshine against Saints and Leeds respectively, before a hat-trick of appearances either side of Covid for Catalans in Newcastle.

Impressively, last year's 36-10 defeat against Warrington with the Dragons was the first time Tomkins had tasted defeat on a Magic Weekend.

"That's probably why I like it so much," he joked this week, preparing himself in Perpignan for a first clash against his first club on Tyneside.

"But with Wigan and now Catalans, I know that both clubs have had a big focus on it. It?s never been just another game - Magic is a bit different.

"As a player you want to play on the biggest stage. I've been lucky in my career, playing in a lot of cup finals and internationals, but Magic does give the chance for more people to do that - and I think that's one of the reasons you always get great matches and great stories happening."

Asked to pick a couple of Magic highlights, Tomkins names one for Wigan in Manchester, and another for the Catalans in Newcastle.

"The game against St Helens at the Etihad in 2012, it was only a couple of days after Kris Radlinski had told me the full story behind the Joining Jack charity, and we'd talked about the try celebration.

"So not only did we get to beat St Helens, but I scored a pretty good try and it was the first time I had the chance to do that celebration. That will always be a special memory."

It was a special try as well, as Tomkins, then 23 and probably at his peak in terms of speed, took a pass on halfway, threw one outrageous dummy to break the Saints line, and arced around the cover to touch down in the right corner.

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St Helens were the opponents again for the more recent highlight, at St James' in 2021, when Magic was held in the closing stages of the Super League season in September as sport continued to readjust after Covid.

"That was a great last five minutes, but not a great 75 before that," he says of a match which Catalans trailed 30-12 before scoring three rapid-fire tries to force golden point extra time, in which James Maloney kicking the winning drop goal.

"It was definitely the most amazing finish in any game I've been part of. And the other thing was the magnitude of it for us as a club. It meant we finished League Leaders, and that meant so much to everyone back in France."

Moving swiftly past that defeat by Warrington at last year's Magic, Tomkins' last memory of St James' came as England captain in the opening match of last autumn's Rugby League World Cup, and a stunning 60-6 win against Samoa.

"I love the atmosphere of Magic Weekend in Newcastle," he added. "The Etihad is a brilliant stadium and I really enjoyed playing there. But it's Manchester, which feels more like a normal away game for most fans. Newcastle is a bit different, and a lot more of them make a weekend of it, which gives it a different atmosphere. You can sense that as a player - and it's the sort of thing I'd love to experience as a fan."

But first, Tomkins has one last Magic appearance to make. "It's huge for both teams, with us both being on the same points, so there's the chance for the winners to go second on our own. There aren't many players in the Wigan team now from when I was there, but I've still got a lot of friends at the club, and I know what a special club they are. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy beating them."

It will be worth keeping a close eye on the Catalans veteran in Newcastle this weekend.