League: Sam Tomkins reveals the real reason for leaving the New Zealand Warriors

NZ Herald

5 Feb, 2016 08:27 PM2 mins to read

Sam Tomkin's posted this photo of his son on Instagram: 'My boy's ready for the 9s!! #Good luck boys', he wrote. Photo / Instagram, @samtomkins

Sam Tomkins has come clean about the real reason why he left the New Zealand Warriors.

The English fullback had previously cited homesickness as his reason for leaving the Warriors with a year left on his contract, but he told the Daily Mail the wish to raise his first child in familiar surroundings was the key to his departure.

His girlfriend Charlotte gave birth to their first child in December, and Tomkins says he wanted to raise new son Rex in Wigan.

Tomkins says he wanted to raise new son Rex in Wigan. Photo / Getty

"Just as it was a good time to leave when I did it was a good time to come back again as well," Tomkins told the Daily Mail. "The opportunity to return to Wigan was too good to miss and it meant we could raise the baby at home."

Despite the decision, Tomkins says he has no regrets about his two seasons spent in New Zealand, where he scored 14 tries in his 37 games for the Warriors.

"I loved the experience. A big thing for me was just experiencing something new. I've been in my comfort zone in Wigan forever, never living more than a mile and a half from my parents and going to 12,000 miles away.

"To be able to experience a completely different culture and way of life was what I really wanted. I could see the beach from my bedroom and every morning I'd go for a coffee on the beach rather than inside Starbucks.

"I felt at home really early on, made loads of friends and we've kept our house in Auckland so I'd hope to move back one day. The rugby was a challenge as well, the team weren't top of the league like at Wigan and I wasn't playing my best all the time so I hope I've developed as a person," said Tomkins.

Tomkins is currently out of action until April due to a knee injury.