Sam Tomkins makes huge Junior Nsemba admission as two-time Man of Steel lauds 'exciting' young star

[josie andrews]

Two-time Man of Steel winner Sam Tomkins says he has never seen a young player progress as impressively as Wigan’s Junior Nsemba, and believes every NRL club would have been interested in the talented star until his new six-year deal with the Warriors.

The destructive back-rower has just enjoyed one of the most memorable breakthrough campaigns in Super League history. He capped off an incredible season by winning his first England cap aged only 20 this month, when he featured in the second Test victory over Samoa in Leeds.

Catalans Dragons full-back and former England captain Tomkins was a member of Shaun Wane’s England backroom staff for the series. He was appointed team manager ahead of the two Tests against the 2022 World Cup finalists and worked closely with Nsemba for the first time.

“Junior is the most exciting young talent in Super League by far, nobody comes close,” three-time Grand Final winner Tomkins said.

“He started this season off as a young kid with potential and he’s finished it as one of the main strikes for the best side.

“I don’t think we can underestimate the progression that Junior has been on this year.

“I can’t remember a player that has gone from wearing squad number 21 at the start of the year to being a star player by the end. As long as I’ve been playing, nobody has progressed as quickly as Junior. I hope that carries on.”

The Cherry and Whites tied down the outstanding academy product to a massive deal in September, which runs until 2030. He was later named the Young Super League Player of the Year and played a huge role in Matt Peet’s side that claimed an unprecedented quadruple in 2024.

35-year-old Tomkins continued: “He’s firmly a star of Super League already. He’s signed a long contract at Wigan, which is not only great business for the club but for the competition as a whole.

“Every team in the NRL would want his signature, let’s be honest.

“He’s young, he’s intelligent, he’s a nice lad. He’s got everything about him. And the fact he’s going to stay in our competition for a while is good for Wigan. More than that, it’s good for the sport and for international rugby league.”

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... ar-4863011

[josie andrews]

Think Sam is trying to tell us something we already know about Junior

[morley pie eater]

Tomkins is right to highlight Junior's progress/development.

When you think that he came in due to Willie isa's injury, and we were talking about his weakness in defence. In that early period, any errors he made were sorted within a game or two - defensive positioning, stopping the offload, when to offload, running angles, backing up breaks, and sheer power. He seems to have everything - just think what he'll be like in a year's time