Captain Sam Tomkins ‘dreaming of lifting World Cup trophy’ for England

England captain Sam Tomkins has told Love Rugby League that he has been dreaming of lifting the World Cup trophy later this year.

The Catalans fullback, 33, has already represented his country on the grandest stage twice. A semi-finalist in 2013 and a beaten finalist in 2017 with the Wall of White, Tomkins has unfinished business.

He and his national teammates will play a Combined Nations All Stars team in a warm-up game this week.

“It will be a huge honour playing at a World Cup on home soil. There’s nothing bigger,” Tomkins said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait. The prospect of being able to lift a World Cup trophy is something that dreams are made of. I must admit, I have been dreaming about it. I’ve not let myself dream too much because it’s a long way off.

“There’s a lot of rugby to be played before then, but it’s an opportunity which everyone playing for England wants to take. It’s always an honour to pull on the England jersey. This week is just as special as any other time.

“Captaining the side is a huge honour. As a kid, you grow up and hope that you can play in Super League. Then, you hope that you can get into the international team. Becoming the captain of that team isn’t really something that you focus on, but when Shaun [Wane] asked me, the answer was always going to be ‘yes’.”

In England’s group at the World Cup are Samoa, France, and Greece. The tournament was pushed back to later this year due to the affect of COVID in 2021.

Tomkins and co. are amongst the favourites, which he isn’t surprised at. The three-time Grand Final winner added, “We’ve got a great chance.

“When I look at the quality of players that we’ve got playing – both over here and in the NRL as well – there’s no doubt that we