Hull

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.”

Former NRL star Fuifui Moimoi has signed for League One side Rochdale Hornets for the 2021 season to keep him playing past 40. “My body will tell me when I’ve had enough, then I’ll stop,” the prop said

It is difficult to imagine Fuifui Moimoi being nervous about anything.

Standing at 6ft tall and weighing 16st 7lb, the prop cuts an imposing figure. That is before you consider he has over 200 games of NRL experience under his belt, along with having faced some of rugby league’s fiercest competitors on the international stage for both Tonga and New Zealand.

Yet he admits the nerves were jangling when he arrived at Hopwood Hall College for his first training session with head coach Matt Calland and his new team-mates at Rochdale Hornets as preparations for the 2021 League One season got underway.

“Honestly, I was a bit nervous when I first started with Matt and the boys, but the last couple of weeks I’ve really enjoyed training with them,” Moimoi said.

“I’ve never worked with a coach who is that fit. We’re working hard on our fitness and he is fitter than most of the players!

“It’s really good with Matt though and I’m looking forward to the season starting and working within the squad.”

Moimoi’s decision to sign a deal with Rochdale for the 2021 season means he will become a rarity at professional level in playing on past the age of 40, having made his debut for Parramatta Eels way back in Round 8 of the 2004 NRL season.

Fuifui Moimoi in action for Tonga at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup

The hard-charging, big-hitting front row became a cult hero in Australia and beyond during his time with the Eels, but a desire to move away from being under the microscope in the NRL led to him joining Leigh Centurions – then in the Championship – in 2015.

What was originally meant to be a one-year stay ended up being extended to a second season, followed by spells with Toronto Wolfpack and, most recently, Workington Town. Although even then Moimoi did not envision still pulling on his boots into his 40s.

“When I finished with Parramatta, I wasn’t really keen to come and play Super League,” Moimoi said. “I wanted to come to Leigh just to enjoy my time here just for one year, but when I turned up I enjoyed things so much and that’s why I kept going.

“It’s more relaxed and not as tough as back home. I’m more relaxed and enjoying my footy more over here than back in Australia.

I’m from Leigh and I fully appreciated and saw the impact he had when he arrived there, and that’s something I was keen to see happen in Rochdale.

Rochdale chairman Andy Mazey on Fuifui Moimoi

“I don’t think I expected to still be playing at 40.”

Moimoi quickly established himself as a terrace favourite at the Centurions too, and one person who could not help but take notice of that was Rochdale chairman and Leigh native Andy Mazey.

Watching him in action for Workington in the 2018 League One play-off final against Bradford Bulls left Mazey, who led a takeover of the Hornets after leaving Swinton Lions in 2019, in no doubt as to his ability to make an impression on the field too.

“I’m from Leigh and I fully appreciated and saw the impact he had when he arrived there, and that’s something I was keen to see happen in Rochdale,” Mazey said. “I know the interest and what I’ve always found with Fui is he’s got that charisma and personality.

Fuifui Moimoi takes on the Bradford defence for Workington in the 2018 League One play-off final

“There was a genuine feeling he can do the business on the field still. I’ve seen him play for Workington and the way Matt is going to use him, he can still have a massive impact at this level on the sport.”

Moimoi looks back fondly on his three-season stint with Workington, recalling with delight how the fans addressed him as “Marra” – a term of endearment in West Cumbrian dialect – but having a baby daughter aged just nine months meant travelling two-and-a-half hours each way for midweek evening training became impractical.

His former Workington team-mate Sean Penkywicz recommended joining him closer to home at Rochdale and having made the switch, he has quickly impressed Calland with the impact he is already making – particularly on the younger members of the squad making their way in the professional game.

“He’s a natural leader and because of all the experience he has in the game, he leads by example and when he speaks everybody listens,” Calland said.

He’s a natural leader and because of all the experience he has in the game, he leads by example and when he speaks everybody listens.

Rochdale head coach Matt Calland on Fuifui Moimoi

“He gives little cues in training to the younger guys in training and it’s invaluable to have him around. I think he’ll be just as valuable off the field as well as on it.”

After seeing their application to join the Championship for 2021 to replace promoted Leigh overlooked in favour of Newcastle Thunder, the Hornets have their sights on being one of the two teams which will be promoted from League One at the end of this season.

Whether Moimoi will stay on beyond this year whatever division Rochdale are in remains to be seen, but he has no plans to call it a day as long as his body still allows him to play.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Moimoi said when asked how long he intends to keep playing for. “I’ll see how my body feels.

“I’ll go every year and my body will tell me when I’ve had enough, then I’ll stop.”

Sky Sports rugby league presenter and former Super League winger Carney on Stevie Ward’s retirement and whether more can be done to curb the danger of players suffering concussions by clamping down on contact with the head by tacklers

Stevie Ward has been forced to retire due to the effects of concussion

Sky Sports rugby league expert Brian Carney reflects on Stevie Ward’s decision to retire due to the effects of concussion and calls on rugby league’s lawmakers to do more to deter contact with the head from tacklers…

It’s always sad and disappointing to see someone like Stevie Ward retire at both a young age and not on their own terms. I think he has assessed his medical situation after those two concussions and done what’s best for him as a human being, which is the most important thing at this time.

It’s incredibly unfortunate for Stevie. He has not had the best of luck with injuries in recent years, he’s a very talented player and obviously well thought of at Leeds for them to make him captain of that great club.

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Leeds Rhinos captain Stevie Ward has announced his retirement from rugby league due to the two concussions he experienced early last year

The bigger issue facing rugby league is around concussions. As society in general and sports, in particular, discover more information about concussions, and the strength of the link between them and a variety of neurological disorders, I would suggest that every sporting governing body should be doing all in their power to limit the instances of concussive events in activities under their remit.

Rugby league is quite obviously a contact sport and there will, for long as this great game is played, be instances of accidental and unavoidable contact with the head which result in concussions. Treatment of those within a stricter concussion protocol and return to play framework will be a given for the governing body.

I would, however, like to turn the spotlight on another category of concussive events which I believe are a long way from being minimised. These are concussions which result directly from careless, reckless or deliberate contact with the head or indirectly from the same acts.

Leeds captain Ward, 27, retires due to concussions

Leeds Rhinos captain Stevie Ward has been forced to retire at the age of 27 due to concussions he suffered last year.

In both subsets there is, in my opinion, an unacceptable asymmetry of risk. For the injured party there is the risk of concussion and all its attendant issues that we are learning more and more about.

But for the offender, the concession of a penalty? A card of some colour? Maybe a ban and perhaps even one of two weeks or so? That is not enough.

I am cherry-picking here, but regular viewers of Super League will get my point. In 2020, for example, Tom Lineham got an eight-game ban for a “testicle grab” and Joel Tomkins got eight games for “other contrary behaviour” when he decided to put his fingers where he shouldn’t.

Almost everybody agreed that these acts needed to be punished severely – a bit like spitting at an opponent on the field, which usually leads to a chorus of: “How dare they? Red card ref! Lengthy suspension!”

But when do you recall eight-game suspensions being given for contact with the head? That is a minimum level of suspension we need to be handing out to acts that are classified as foul play and result in direct or indirect contact with the head and possibly concussion.

That would go a little way towards redressing this lopsided risk which currently exposes the victim to concussion and the guilty party to a couple of weeks on the sidelines.

There is no doubt that rugby league is a changed game in how it treats head injuries and concussions. The game needs to be complimented for the progress it has made, but more needs to be done and I think that would be accepted.

Brian Carney

I think rugby union knows what they want when it comes to contact with the head. By and large, I believe they are far stricter whereas we still let too much go in rugby league.

We, as spectators of this marvellously entertaining sport, should be able to see an incident which involves careless, reckless or deliberate contact with the head and know immediately it is a red card and lengthy suspension. At the moment, it is an unacceptable lottery which does not do enough to discourage the tackler from their actions.

There is no doubt that rugby league is a changed game in how it treats head injuries and concussions compared with five or 10 years ago, and certainly 20 years ago. The game needs to be complimented for the progress it has made, but more needs to be done and I think that would be accepted.

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Speaking back in November, Stevie Ward said he was concerned about the long-term effects of concussion and believed more research needed to be done

We saw last year how everybody went into overdrive to restart the sport during a pandemic and the bio-security steps which were taken.

There is, however, an anomaly where we are trying to provide a bio-secure environment during a pandemic yet within the game there are incidents where I believe we are not doing all we can to protect the players on the field from non-Covid-19 health issues.

We have got better, but there are more steps we can take as a game.