Dragons

Tomkins produced another impressive display in Catalans’ win over Huddersfield Giants in Super League. “In my opinion, if Sam Tomkins plays full-back in the World Cup final in Brisbane, England score enough points to win the game,” McNamara said.

Former national coach Steve McNamara believes England would have won the last Rugby League World Cup had full-back Sam Tomkins played in the final.

England were beaten 6-0 by Australia in the decider in Brisbane in 2017 and will hope to go one better in the 2021 tournament, which takes place on these shores in the autumn.

As new England boss Shaun Wane prepares to unveil his latest squad, Tomkins provided another reminder of his class with a man-of-the-match performance in Catalans Dragons’ 20-10 win over Huddersfield in the second round of the Betfred Super League.

Tomkins on form again as Dragons triumph

Sam Tomkins maintained his impressive start to the season as Catalans secured a 20-10 win over Huddersfield Giants.

The 32-year-old is facing competition for the England No 1 shirt from Zak Hardaker (Wigan Warriors) and Jake Connor (Hull FC), but Dragons head coach McNamara insists the former Wigan full-back has the edge.

“There are some very good players and Sam is up there, but what separates him from the others is his leadership skills,” McNamara said.

“He is a genuine leader and, in my opinion, if Sam Tomkins plays full-back in the World Cup final in Brisbane, England score enough points to win the game.”

Tomkins helped create tries for Matt Whitley and Mike McMeeken which set the Dragons up for a second successive victory at the start of the season.

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Sam Tomkins was named man of the match as he helped the Catalans Dragons to victory over the Huddersfield Giants

“It’s a pleasing start,” McNamara said. “We had a very limited period to get ready as a team and to find those two wins, in different styles, puts us in a good position.”

The Catalans currently pay for their own charter flights to comply with Covid-19 restrictions and face a third successive trip to England next week for their Challenge Cup tie with Wakefield Trinity.

But McNamara says the prospect of a third national lockdown in France should not prevent them playing in Perpignan later in the month.

“The rules for us are pretty much the same,” McNamara said. “There is not an issue with it whatsoever.”

Hodgson backs Connor for England

Brett Hodgson believes Jake Connor should be in the England frame when Shaun Wane announces his latest squad on Tuesday.

The result leaves McNamara’s opposite number Ian Watson waiting for his first win as Huddersfield coach.

They were still without skipper Aidan Sezer, who will also miss next week’s Challenge Cup tie against Leigh Centurions with a calf strain, and may also be without second rower Joe Greenwood, who is facing a ban after being sent off for a high tackle on centre Samisoni Langi.

“In the first half we didn’t give ourselves a chance in the game,” Watson said. “We were poor with our discipline on the back of sets.

“We learned the lessons for the second half and Jack Cogger kicked them to death, but it shouldn’t have to take us that long. It will click at some point, it’s building that mentality into the players.

“Obviously you miss someone like Aidan, but the team today was still good enough to win, as it was against Hull.”

Wakefield captain Miller reveals all on doing a carpentry apprenticeship in lockdown, having a new half-back partner in Mason Lino and his hopes for the new Super League season

When the UK went into lockdown last year and Super League suspended the season for four months, Jacob Miller found plenty to keep himself occupied.

Along with keeping himself in shape for when the competition resumed, the Wakefield Trinity half-back had to cope with the demands of home-schooling his children and educating himself.

That is because last April, Miller began a carpentry apprenticeship and the 28-year-old has been trying to get as far ahead as possible with that before Super League kicks off in 2021.

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“I’m a full-time Year 2 maths teacher now,” Miller joked, looking back on the last year. “But I’ve started a carpentry apprenticeship back in April last year and I’ve just been trying to chip away at that when I get a chance.

“I’m just trying to chip away at it, so I’ve got something there when I finish playing.

“We’re looking forward to a game. It’s been a long pre-season and I think everybody is ready for some rugby now.”

The Australian is set to have a new partner alongside him in the halves when Trinity get their campaign underway against Leeds Rhinos on Saturday afternoon in the form of Samoa international Mason Lino.

It’s been a long pre-season and I think everybody is ready for some rugby now.

Jacob Miller

The 27-year-old has joined from NRL side Newcastle Knights on a three-year contract and was Chris Chester’s first recruit of the off-season, with the Wakefield head coach keen to bring in another half to take some of the pressure off Miller.

Former Super League players Clint Newton and Blake Green were among those Down Under to give Chester glowing references about Lino and he has already made an impression on the squad ahead of his expected debut.

“He’s brought a real professionalism to the outfit and he’s a smart footballer as well with some smart ideas about how the game should be played,” Chester said.

“I think that’ll take a lot of pressure off Milky this year. At times, we went into games with only one recognised half-back and we were having to play guys like Max Jowitt and Ryan Hampshire out of position there.

Mason Lino has already made an impression at Wakefield

“We had to throw young Connor Bailey in at certain times last season, so just having an established half-back in the team to get us around the pitch I think will certainly make Milky’s job a lot easier in the fact he can just play his own game and he’s got a calming influence inside him in Mase.”

Miller, who got his first opportunity to play alongside Lino in the 30-10 victory over Dewsbury Rams in a recent pre-season game, believes the new signing will allow him more freedom to play his own game too.

“It’s been really good,” Miller said. “It has given me the chance to free up a bit.

“In the last few seasons, I’ve had to kind of take on that role of organising a lot of things that probably didn’t suit my game to a tee.

He’s brought a real professionalism to the outfit and he’s a smart footballer as well with some smart ideas about how the game should be played.

Chris Chester on Mason Lino

“Hopefully you’ll see me run the ball a little bit more, and not organising and worrying about things around me. Hopefully I can take a bit of a load off and worry about my own game.”

Wakefield ended the 2020 season in 10th place after a year which saw the squad disrupted by injury and a string of positive Covid-19 tests.

But Trinity enter the new Super League season with renewed optimism they can avoid being dragged into a relegation battle this year and captain Miller, now entering his seventh season at the club, is buoyant about their prospects.

“Hopefully we can produce some more consistent performances from last year and even the years before,” Miller said. “The difference between our best and worst was too far in between.

“Our training has been a lot more consistent and hopefully that shows on the pitch this year. Hopefully you won’t see that dip between our best and our worst.”

Hull FC teenager Ben McNamara made an immediate impact on his Super League debut last year; he tells Sky Sports about the influence of his father, what he learnt from his time in Sydney Roosters’ youth set-up and his hopes for 2021

When Ben McNamara decided to commit himself to a career as professional rugby league player, he did so with advance knowledge of both the highs and lows which can be expected.

The 19-year-old has witnessed many of those first-hand growing up with his father Steve working in various coaching roles, be it with Bradford Bulls, England or, since 2017, Catalans Dragons.

That is before getting to the knowledge gleaned from dad’s extensive playing career at the highest level as a back-row forward with Hull FC – the club Ben now represents – Bradford, Wakefield Trinity and Huddersfield Giants.

Reynolds settles in for Super League stint

New Hull FC signing Josh Reynolds on how he is adapting to life in England and his aims for the 2021 Super League season.

“I guess it has given me a bit of a head start in some ways because I probably knew a bit more what I was getting myself into than some people,” McNamara told Sky Sports.

“It’s good to have that support, but I don’t think it adds any pressure. It’s all positive and he definitely helps me out a lot.

“Especially seeing him as a coach and in his coaching career, you sort of understand more what it means to coaches when they have a loss and how it affects their week and things like that.

“It is a good learning experience and, as a family, you ride the highs and lows with them and I think it has probably taught me a lot about how to react being on the right and the wrong end of results.”

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Ben McNamara scored for Hull FC on his Super League debut against Castleford last October

Despite his tender years McNamara has plenty of his own experiences to fall back on too, including playing rugby union as an inside centre or fly-half while attending Pocklington School and then as part of Yorkshire Carnegie’s U18s side which helped develop his kicking game.

His father’s time serving as an assistant coach to Trent Robinson at Sydney Roosters afforded him the chance to feature for the prestigious NRL outfit’s U13 and U15 teams too – something which was a world apart from playing junior rugby for Skirlaugh Bulls in the Hull and District League.

“There aren’t many people who get to go over there and do that, and it’s something I’ll cherish forever in a way because playing for the Roosters at any age is an honour,” McNamara said.

“At first it was probably a reality check, in a way. Being from Hull and getting to know a lot of the players in the area where everyone gets to know each other at a really young age, I was probably one of the better players around the area.

I guess it has given me a bit of a head start in some ways because I probably knew a bit more what I was getting myself into than some people.

Ben McNamara on growing up around professional rugby

“Then going over there, there are kids who have developed a lot earlier and it was a bit of a reality check. That probably taught me to be humble and I’d say taught me about working hard and being on the losing end.

“I’d probably been a bit too used to winning over here because I played in a good team at Skirlaugh, so there were definitely lots of good experiences I had there.”

Add all of that together and it is perhaps no surprise McNamara seemed to slot straight in when he made a try-scoring Super League debut off the interchange bench in Hull’s pulsating 32-28 win over Castleford Tigers last October.

He went on to make three further appearances in 2020, including being entrusted with two starts at stand-off by interim head coach Andy Last, and has his sights set on being ready when called upon by new Black and Whites boss Brett Hodgson this year.

Ben McNamara is determined to be ready if called upon by new Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson

McNamara already feels former Man of Steel Hodgson has helped him make improvements to his game, particularly through some one-on-one work he has done with the ex-Huddersfield and Warrington Wolves full-back.

Above all though, the Super League appearances he got under his belt last year gave him the perfect insight into what he needed to do over the off-season to be ready for 2021.

“I’m definitely glad I did get a chance last year because it gives me a lot more confidence going into this year,” McNamara said.

“Having a taste of it, I realised what level I needed to be at coming into this pre-season and the standard I need to train at.

Can Connor become the complete full-back?

New Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson on why he believes Jake Connor can excel at full-back in Super League this year.

“It was a shock and a big step up from anything I’d played before, but I really enjoyed it and it was just great to be out there. It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to play Super League, so I was really happy with it.”