He headbutted Ryan King this morning ?

Was it a dispute over who paid for the coffees in Costa's?

Thought it wasn't the Leeds fasn booing him at the international?

What a load of tosh. Sam Tomkins, Ryan Bailey, Long, Moz, Newton, Nickle, Matautia, Skerrett, Howard, Edwards, Laughton, Sampson . . . you see where I'm going? Rugby league loves it's bad boys. Loves it's hate figures. These men have all made us curse at they have all made us smile too.

They generate debate, garner comment and get the game column inches for the things they do. Love them or loath them as individuals we need them.

Sam must know it's only a matter of time till the game fixes it's hatred and ire on the next lad.

I thin he'll be hated all his career from his actions. I think hectares hate to another level from the names you've listed above.

No Pete, when you lot were at your most successful best, the Saints players in that list were hated just as much by us Wigan fans as Sam Tomkins is by all the bitters this morning.



Success allied with arrogance brings the bitterest hatreds of all!

Given this then ... Perhaps you might like to explain the flurry of abuse that Sam 'Can do no wrong' Tomkins subjected Rob Hicks (the touch judge) to after the last Leeds try ?

Had Hicks been booing him ?

Is Tompkins exempt from respecting match officials too ?

Hicks was doing his job and yet was subjected to an Alex Ferguson style 'hairdryer' from someone who thinks he is bigger than the game.

My regret is that Rob Hicks 'bottled it' and failed to bring the incident to Bent-Hams attention ...

Oh I don't know. I forgot Goulding. It always seemed very intense at the time.

I don't think Sam has taken it anywhere. I just think your common or garden RL fan has just stopped being a fan of the game and is now a fan of the club. These fans hate people who beat them.

I would even suggest that many fans have never actually played. Something that you couldn't say ten years ago. So perhaps they don't realise how good the lad is.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that there weren't Leeds fans booing him at the Exiles game, but you ought to take a long hard look at who was doing it.

Of course, the stick he's taken at other grounds has been perpetrated by a small group of 'Special Forces' Ninja Leeds fans sneaking into grounds across Northern England wherever Wigan are playing and have been highly training in leading the local fans in the booing of Tompkins.

You forget the volley of abuse towards match officials ....

Typo corrected

If he's an embarrassment to the game / nation ... Let's not bother watching him 'represent' us at the Four Nations then ?

That's if they can find him ....

Against the Southern Hemisphere sides last year, he was complete anonymous, despite the banana boots.

Can anyone remember the last time a player from any team of any colours contesting a final missed it due to an RFL suspension ?

Has anyone mentined Rat Boy's brother and his use of the knees on Hall when he was scoring?

Clearly Wigan have signed the Hindu God Vishnu.

With the deity's many arms, it can still embrance the try scorer and yet still make it appear the Sam Tompkins is flicking the Vs at the Leeds fans ....

I don't recall Lee Smith verbally abusing a match official .... Can you remind me of it ?

I remember Leeds player Gareth Stephens flicking them towards his own fans ...

When Robinson was a little off the rails he had a big old Christian to settle him down.

Is it possible that Sam T is a little immature? Does need some guidance. And perhaps needs some support and encouragement to deliver his undoubted talents on the big stages. Stop him going missing. Give him the confidence to express himself.

Personally I think he is an asset the game in the UK can use to promote itself. In my humble the vitriol and venom spouted at a young lad is actually exacerbating the situation, and furthermore is actually making the game look worse than any antics of one player.

Check out Tompkin's reaction towards Rob Hicks, the touch judge, after the last Leeds try and come back to me ....

he also grabbed benthams arm. thought this was illegal.was it hock who got banned for same thing. rugby league player= brill. person= arrogant chav.

I am pretty sure I asked a question about immaturity. .

Wigan seriously thought they might lose surely? Sam T might have reacted with the emotion of that.

And to be fair Hicks has been a chocolate fireguard all year. Useless.

I'm not offended by either my own fans dislike of McGuire and Bailey or other fans dislike of Tomkins. Disliking opposition players is what we do and it's perfectly normal, but if people are prepared to boo a player every week, even when he's playing for England, and incite violence and injury upon him, then they really have no moral high ground to claim when that player responds. I don't agree with what Tomkins did, by the way, I merely pointed out the hypocrisy in the reaction to it from people trying to justify their own abuse of him. I haven't justified what he has done at all, but I'm sure that doesn't matter as you were probably just dying to use the phrase "kn0b-jockey" on a forum so you can tell your pals at school what a dangerous little boy you are.

The answer to your question is no, Sam Tomkins is not exempt from respecting match officials, and I fully expect you'll be posting your condemnation of such things when any other player does it, including your own. What's that? It's only Sam Tomkins' transgressions you're interested in you say? Ah, I see. I fully understand mate, if I were trying to vilify a player I might be tempted to pretend he's the only one ever to have disagreed with a touch judge.

Exactly my point.

Are you suggesting that Wigan are the first team to lose an important game, ever ?

The laughable point about Tompkins reaction was the try had been refered to the Video Referee anyway, but instead of seeing what that decision might be, he was over there screaming at someone.

Hicks really did nothing wrong and yet was subject to the volley of abuse from someone who thinks he is bigger than the whole game itself and behaves according.

Now if you want to go behave like that and scream at officials, then I suggest he goes plays Wendy-Ball where that sort of thing is acceptable and is played lip-service to (in terms of dealing with it), whereas in RL, respect for the officials (good or bad) is sacrasanct.

If every player reacted in the same way at the same point of a game, then the sport would end in chaos. If his team mates or coach can't / won't deal with the issue, then it is the job of the governing body of the sport to come down hard on him and teach him some other with. Something like a big fine and / or a ban might focus the mind to start with.

There's disagreement / back-chat and there's running over and screaming at them ...

And for the record, match officials are partly to blame. On this occasion, Hicks should have brought the attention to Bentham.

Generally in the game, the use of the 10 yards back + penalty for back chat is sadly under used and perhaps if it was applied more certain immature players might think twice about their actions ....

Sorry Admiral I can't see your point. I've said he's immature and needs guidance. I haven't tried to excuse his antics.

I just feel that people are getting on his back a little too much. He hasn't killed or raped anyone. He's guilty of silliness and hotheadedness yes. But surely there is a limit to how far you can villify someone for that?