SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 49 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

England

Sam Tomkins backs England to cope without injured captain Sean O’Loughlin

:Headline: Sam Tomkins backs England to cope without injured captain Sean O’Loughlin: ID:340174: from db_amp
Either James Graham or Josh Hodgson is likely to be named skipper.

Sam Tomkins says England can overcome the absence of captain Sean O’Loughlin to clinch the Test series against New Zealand.

The veteran Wigan loose forward will miss Sunday’s second Test at Anfield after failing to recover from a recurrence of an old calf injury he sustained in the early stages of the first Test in Hull last Saturday.

England will announce a replacement captain on Thursday, which is almost certain to be either James Graham or Josh Hodgson, while coach Wayne Bennett is set to plug the gap in the pack by giving a debut to either Joe Greenwood, O’Loughlin’s Wigan team-mate, or Castleford loose forward Adam Milner.

Tomkins knows all about the importance of O’Loughlin, having played alongside him for club and country for eight of the last 10 years, but insists he is not irreplaceable.

“You can replace him,” said Tomkins at the England team hotel in Manchester.

“You won’t get exactly the same and whether you get better or worse, I don’t know, but Lockers is one of our best players without doubt.

“He’s the best player every time he pulls the jersey on for Wigan and when he plays for England you know you’re going to get a minimum of eight out of 10, he plays well or really well.

England beat New Zealand in the first Test in Hull (Dave Howarth/PA)

“It’s a luxury to have someone like that in your squad. He will be missed this week but it will give someone else an opportunity to come in and make an impact. With the strength of the squad, no one is going to come in and be a weak link.”

Huddersfield winger Jermaine McGillvary said of O’Loughlin: “He’s one of if not the best player I’ve ever played with.

“He’s going to be a miss but we’ve got a lot of strength in depth so someone will come in and take his place and they won’t let us down.”

Bennett, whose side lead the three-match series 1-0 following their 18-16 win at the KCOM Stadium, is likely to keep any changes to a minimum as they look for a series-clinching victory.

“He will be missed this week but it will give someone else an opportunity to come in and make an impact”
- Sam Tomkins on Sean O'Loughlin

Tomkins says he is happy to continue in the half-back role after making the switch from his regular club position of full-back.

“Apart from defending, there’s not a huge difference,” he said. “I played quite a few minutes there this year.

“I started playing for England in the halves and it’s like riding a bike, it’s nothing too major.”

Tomkins has revealed he missed his own stag do in Hamburg at the weekend after getting the chance to revive his international career.

“I needed to book it two months ago,” explained Tomkins, who is leaving Wigan to join Catalans Dragons for 2019.

“I couldn’t book it any later because I would be back in training. Pre-season starts the end of November so I couldn’t book it any other time.

“It was a win-win because, if I didn’t play for England, I’m on my stag do and, if I’m not on my stag do, I’m playing for England.

“The rest of them enjoyed it, they didn’t miss me. I think after 10 pints you forget who’s round it is.”

amp_article__340174 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-10-31 15:23:13:
html db last update - 2021-03-06 13:45:20 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Sam Tomkins

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Read more about England Rugby League
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .