Joel Andrew Tomkins (born 21 March 1987) is a former English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who last played forward for the

Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons (French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from outs ...

in the

Betfred Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...

, and has played for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

at international level. He has previously played for the

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Northern Rugby Football Union followin ...

and

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...

in the Super League. He also played professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

for Saracens in the English Rugby Premiership and the

England Saxons England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emer ...

and

at international level.

Background

Tomkins was born in

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, Cheshire, England, but he was raised in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, England. He is the eldest brother of

Sam Tomkins Sam Tomkins (born 23 March 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and occasional for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League and England at international level. He is the two time and current and r ...

and Logan Tomkins, who also both played rugby league.

Rugby league career

Early career

Tomkins is a former St. John Fisher player, where he played in the

' Academy at under-18's level in 2003. He was selected for the 2004 Academy Origin Series. Joel was one of the most highly rated talents in the

' Academy. He primarily plays in the , but he can also play as a , and .

Wigan Warriors (2005–11)

In 2005, he was called up into the first-team at the age of 18 and he made his senior début for the

against the

Widnes Vikings The Widnes Vikings are an English rugby league club in Widnes, Cheshire, which competes in the Betfred Championship. The club plays home matches at the Halton Stadium. Founded as Widnes Football Club, they are one of the original twenty-two r ...

in March 2005. During 2005, Joel made another 12 appearances and scoring a total of 3 tries in the process. The talented youngster was given his chance at first-team level under coach

Ian Millward Ian "Basil"/"Minibus" Millward (born 22 August 1960) is an Australian rugby league coach, occasional pundit and former player. Millward is now the assistant coach of St George Illawarra in the NRL Millward is the former head coach of Wigan, S ...

, who had become Head Coach of the

in 2005. Tomkins started the first match of the 2006 season at , in a match against the

which the

lost, 38–30. He was demoted to the bench for the second match of the season against the

Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headin ...

. After 17-minutes he was brought from off the bench and scored a try with his first touch of the ball to give the

a 4–0 lead. The

went onto lose the match, 16–24. In February 2006, Tomkins agreed a contract extension with the

which would keep him at the club until 2008. He started from the bench for the next two matches against the

Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sha ...

and the Salford City Reds, but he was dropped to the Academy just shortly after. He later returned to the squad when he was named on the bench for the Challenge Cup fourth round match, against the

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, betw ...

on 2 April 2006. He also played in the next couple of Super League matches against the

and St. Helens, before again being dropped to the Academy. Team Head Coach

was sacked in April 2006, because of the poor results from the

side. He was replaced by Brian Noble on 20 April 2006. The

were bottom of the Super League and

Noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

decided to play a more experienced squad, which meant that Tomkins would not make another appearance during 2006. Joel Tomkins Wigan

Tomkins started the 2007 season in the

' Senior Academy, where he was in good-form scoring 5 tries in one match against

' Academy. But despite this he was not called up into the first-team squad until 18 May 2007, for the Super League match against

. Tomkins suffered an ankle injury during the match and was out for 2-weeks, before returning to the

' Senior Academy. He then later returned to the

first-team for the match against the

on 15 June 2007.

Widnes Vikings (loan)

On 27 July 2007, the 20-year-old joined the

, initially on a month's long loan-deal, with a view to extending the deal to the end of the season.

Head Coach

Steve McCormack Steve McCormack is a rugby league coach. He was head coach of Scotland until 2017 and was the longest reigning coach in the nation's history having held the role since 2004. He has also had an extensive club coaching career, having coached Salf ...

said, "It's a really good signing for the Club. Joel has tremendous ability and experience".

Return to Wigan

He became a regular first-team player for the

during the 2008 season, he was a substitute in the

' first match of the season against

Harlequins RL The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

. He was not included in the

squad for the next two games against the Castleford Tigers and

, but he returned to the squad as a substitute for the match against the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

in which he scored his first try in the 2008 season. Despite a good performance against the

, he was not included in the squad for the next two Super League games, his place in the squad was taken by

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

Phil Bailey Phil Bailey (born 25 May 1980) is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays for the New York Knights in the USA Rugby League. A former New South Wales and Australian representative player. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland ...

. His next appearance was in the Good Friday derby match against St. Helens as a substitute. He kept his place in the squad for 13 consecutive games and he scored two more tries, one against the

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington ...

in the Super League round 14 and the other against the

in round 17. Tomkins continued to be a presence in the

' 2009 Super League season. He was successful in the 2010 Super League season, lifting the

League Leaders' Shield The League Leaders' Shield is a shield awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. Currently, and for most of Super League's history, the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off se ...

with the

. Tomkins played in the 2010 Super League Grand Final victory over St. Helens at Old Trafford. He was then part of the

' side that lost the

2011 World Club Challenge The 2011 World Club Challenge (known as the Probiz World Club Challenge due to sponsorship) was contested by Super League XV champions, Wigan Warriors, and 2010 NRL Premiers, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, at Wigan's home ground, DW Stadium. ...

to the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Tomkins made five consecutive appearances at the start of the 2011 Super League season, including the opening fixture against St. Helens, before being sent-off in a game against

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

He received a two-match ban for the incident with his

brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

Sam, also banned for one-game. Tomkins returned and scored his first try of the season in round 8, against the

. His next tries came against

and the

in rounds 10 and 12. Tomkins played as a in the 2011 Challenge Cup Final victory over the

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

. He scored a try after his

Sam, sent him away down the wing to score. Tomkins fended

Danny McGuire Daniel Phillip McGuire (born 6 December 1982) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or , and is currently the interim head-coach of Hull Kingston Rovers. He spent the majority of his professional career play ...

off and he side-stepped past

Brent Webb Brent Douglas Webb (born 9 November 1979) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a . He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, before moving the Leeds Rhinos and the Catalans Dragons i ...

and

Carl Ablett Carl Ablett (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League and England at international level. Ablett spent time on loan from Leeds at ...

to score under the post's, after an eighty-metre sprint. The

won the game 28–18, giving Tomkins his first Challenge Cup 'Winners' Medal.' Joel Tomkins Warrington Vs

Wigan Warriors (return to rugby league 2014–18)

On 18 June 2014, the

announced that they had re-signed Tomkins with immediate effect. He played in the 2014 Super League Grand Final defeat by St. Helens at Old Trafford. He played in the

2015 Super League Grand Final The 2015 Super League Grand Final was the 18th official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding match of the Super League XX season. It was held on Saturday 10 October 2015, at Old Trafford, Manchester, with a 6pm kick-off time. Th ...

defeat by the

at Old Trafford. Tomkins was victorious with the

outfit in the

2016 Super League Grand Final The 2016 Super League Grand Final was the 19th official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding match of the Super League XXI season. It was held on Saturday 8 October 2016, at Old Trafford, Manchester, with a 6pm kick-off time. Bri ...

. He also claimed victory in the 2017 World Club Challenge, against the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby leag ...

by a score of 22–6. Tomkins' final game for the

came in a 23–0 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat on 2 June 2018, by the

. On 4 June 2018, Tomkins was banned from playing for four-weeks and he was incidentally fined £10,000. After footage posted on

Social Media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

went viral, of him abusing bar staff in a local

public house whilst in the company of his brother Sam. Who was also fined £5,000, for his more limited-role in the incident. In light of his current situation with the whole incident, Tomkins himself tendered his resignation to

' Rugby General Manager Kris Radlinski, which was accepted by all parties involved.

Hull Kingston Rovers (2018 – 2019)

Following his resignation from the

, due to the club said to be, "considering his future" in the wake of his 4-week suspension and £10,000 fine. After footage posted on

went viral, of him abusing bar staff in a local

public house. It was revealed on 11 June 2018, that Tomkins had signed an 18-month contract to play for

at Craven Park until the end of the 2019 season.

managed to obtain his services despite interest from other rival Super League clubs. On 17 June 2018, Tomkins made his

' Super League début in a 24–24 draw, against the Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle. On 29 June 2018, Joel bagged his first try for

on his home début at Craven Park against the

, in a 37–10 Super League victory. It was revealed on 24 November 2018, that Tomkins had penned a new three-year contract extension to remain at

until at least the end of the 2021

season. It was revealed on 11 January 2019, that Joel was appointed as captain at

ahead of the start of the 2019 Super League season. Joel Tomkins Hull KR

In October 2019, he signed a two-year deal to join

starting in 2020.

Les Catalans Dragons (2020 - 2021)

During Catalans elimination final victory over Leeds in the 2020 Super League playoffs, Tomkins was placed on report after inappropriate contact with Leeds player

Richie Myler Richard David Myler (born 21 May 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League. He is a member of the Ireland squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, having d ...

. On 18 November, Tomkins was suspended for eight matches and fined £500 after he was found guilty of inappropriate contact. On 9 October 2021, Tomkins played for Catalans in their

2021 Super League Grand Final The 2021 Super League Grand Final was the 24th official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXVI. The game was contested between Catalans Dragons and St Helens at Old Trafford. Background The two finalists finished firs ...

defeat against St. Helens.

Representative rugby league career

He is a former

International representative . Tomkins was selected to play for

against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in a one-off test in 2010. Amongst featuring for

on several more occasions during the 2010–2014

seasons.

Retirement

On 18 November 2021, Tomkins announced his retirement from professional rugby

Rugby union career

Saracens

At the end of the 2011 Super League season, Tomkins switched rugby codes after agreeing a £400,000 contract, (£120,000 a year) at the Saracens, after a £250,000 release-fee was agreed with the

. From 2011–2014, he played

at outside centre for the Saracens. Joel Tomkins Saracens

Representative rugby union career

England Saxons

In 2013, Tomkins was called up for the first of his two caps for the second-string

team. Starting at outside centre in both tests, Tomkins enjoyed initial success against the

Ireland Wolfhounds The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams ...

in a closely contested match, ending in a 14–10 victory for the

. However a week later, Tomkins experienced his first taste of defeat in a union white shirt by a strong Scotland A team, who ran-out winners 9–13, in a rain-swept match set in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

England

He won his début

cap in a 20–13 victory over Australia, in the 2013 Autumn International Series. Following Tomkins' good-form for the Saracens in the 2013–2014 season and the vacancy of the number 13 jersey, left by the injured incumbent

Manu Tuilagi Etuale Manusamoa Tuilagi (born 18 May 1991), known as Manu Tuilagi, is a rugby union player for Sale Sharks. He has played internationally for and the British & Irish Lions. Born in Fogapoa, Samoa, Tuilagi has five elder brothers who played fo ...

. Tomkins was selected at outside centre for England's 1st XV to face Australia, on 2 November 2013 QBE International Test. A match England's 1st XV won 20–13, to regain the

Cook Cup The Ella-Mobbs Trophy (formerly the Cook Cup from 1997–2021) is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and England. The Cook Cup was established in 1997 when the Wallabies and England contracted to play each other bi-annually for a ...

. With Tomkins débuting in a new centre partnership with

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

centre,

Billy Twelvetrees William Wesley Twelvetrees (born 15 November 1988) is a rugby union footballer who currently plays centre or fly-half for Gloucester Rugby and formerly played as inside centre for the England national rugby team. Whilst playing for the Leic ...

Career statistics

Rugby league

Honours

Club

* Super League (2): 2010,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

World Club Challenge The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league competition between the winners of the Australasian National Rugby League (NRL) and the European Super League, for the de facto club world championship of the sport. The first such match was pl ...

(1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

(1): 2010 * Challenge Cup (1): 2011

References

External links

Hull Kingston Rovers profileProfile at wiganwarriors.comSL profileStatistics at wigan.rlfans.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomkins, Joel 1987 births Living people Catalans Dragons players Dual-code rugby internationals England international rugby union players England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Hull Kingston Rovers players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Warrington Rugby league second-rows Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Warrington Saracens F.C. players Widnes Vikings players Wigan Warriors players