Tomkins to play for Barbarians?

[Welski]

He's come in a little from 7-2 but you can still get 3-1 for Sam to score at anytime on Saturday! Skybet

[AdamMac]

Barbarians team on Sat was just posted on Twitter and it names the players from 15-1 as:

Toeva
Tomkins
Fruean
Mortlock
Habana
Cips
Stringer
Thomson
Berga
Kaino
Matfield
Shaw
Marcennot
Mealamu
Guinazu

I'm no Union fan but playing Sam on the wing - what a joke.

Given that it is going to happen, this would actually be the sensible option. I wouldn't expect Sam to have enough knowledge to read the game, so fullback is out, same for playing in the halves and directing the game. He is not big enough to play centre, anyway we don't want him in the thick of the play with forwards falling all over him.

He is going to get bored as the ball rarely comes down the line more than one or two passes, usually kicked by the flyhalf or trundled on by the forwards, the furthest it ever comes is to the crash centre who will try to make a break. If that happens Sam will be in support to take the pass and with his speed cause chaos, support play like Ashton does for England is the way to go.

Jason Robinson moved to fullback sometime after switching codes when he had learnt the game, but was always more effective on the wing. I know people are going to say but he was a winger, but if I remember correctly he started as a halfback.

Spot on SP. He doesn't have the knowledge to play full back in union and would be cruelly exposed. He'll be able to come of his line and sniff round the ruck for a break, just like ashton does. Plyaing wing in either code isn't miles apart and like you say he'll only make a handful of tackles at most.

I'm intrigued to see how this pans out if I'm honest.

[ancientnloyal]

he'll end up doing 10 metre sprints keep warm... Still the RFU have found a way for me to watch the other code

[Welski]

Its diabolical that Sam is on the wing.
The RFU can now control and keep Sam as quiet as they want because on the wing you only get the ball if players inside want to (or are allowed to) give to you.
The best player in Superleague can now be made to look very average in Rugby Union.
I see no possitive for WWRLFC or Rugby League in general out of this fiasco that the RFU can now control for any propoganda.

That takes conspiracy theories to a whole new level.

[jobo]

If any rahrah team tend to throw the ball about, then it's the Babarians. Reckon Welski's tip for Sam to score anytime is a good bet.

[Dobby]

Unfortunately Sam Tomkins isn't going to get any publicity simply by playing rugby league because no one gives a crap about the game except for a hardcore minority of sports fans in this country.

I disagree. Sam has had stacks of publicity this season, far more than I can remember for a Rugby League player for a long time. Many Rugby Union fans and pundits talk about him as the best English player of either code and talk openly about their desire to sign him. This is because he is an outstanding talent, good enough to make even those that detest Rugby League take notice and applaud him.

[mjdodge13]

There are many good points to this! Publicity for rugby league, the club, publicity for sam and of course the chance for a 22 yr old lad to play at twickenham vs Australia! As a Wigan fan I can't think of anything better than watching sam, in his Wigan socks scoring a try at the home of the rfu. Just like when we went to their 7s tournament and won that. ( a few years back after the bath games)Go on sam!!

[TonyH]

Wingers in Union tend to be bulkier nowadays than League wingers, yes you have the odd exception but Sam taking a crash ball inside off the fly half would not work, to be honest he is a scrappy little git as we all know so he would probably be more suited to Scrum Half but his knowledge of Union wouldn't allow him to be effective. In my opinion I'd play him at full back but let him play his own type of game linking in to the line etc, afterall he is an awesome Rugby player I'm pretty sure what he does for us would be just as effective in Yawnion.

[BriH]

I think he will be so bored that he will never, ever want to play the RahRah game again - here's hoping.

[DaveO]

I disagree. Sam has had stacks of publicity this season, far more than I can remember for a Rugby League player for a long time. Many Rugby Union fans and pundits talk about him as the best English player of either code and talk openly about their desire to sign him. This is because he is an outstanding talent, good enough to make even those that detest Rugby League take notice and applaud him.

I agree. The idea we have to court publicity form RU to get Sam noticed is just not true.

Over on rlfans there is a thread about him signing contract for sponsorship with Nike. Given he is a RL player for the next three years they aren't going to get much publicity mileage out of him playing RU. He's got that sponsorship because he is a well known rugby league player. We have not really had one the media take notice of like this since Faz.