www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/fe ... -tv-pundit It seems Phil Clarke has a colleague

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/fe ... -tv-pundit It seems Phil Clarke has a colleague

Good news.

Anything to keep the best talent in this country in our game.

He should be able to give a modern view of the games.

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Well he'll provide a breath of a fresh air to a stale team, at the very least.

It really does sound as though everyone has bent over backwards to keep Sam in the game, and not just in monetary terms either.

I've been a long time believer that it's publicity and fame that Sam seeks, and with the talent and ability he has, who would deprive him of that. In any other mainstream sport his face/name would be known nationwide, and rightfully so for such an exceptional sportsman.

I suppose what it does mean is that the anti-Sam chatter that had the potential to maybe drive him away last year has the potential to come back even stronger this time, regardless of how good he is at doing it

Great news!

It's an excellent idea not only for the keeping him in SL perspective but also to get opinions etc of a current player. Apart from post-game interviews and internet clips we don't get to see much of current players. It would be good to get a couple on Boots n All like they do on The Footy Show in Oz. The current format definitely needs freshening up and it doesn't look like the core team are going to change so it's be good to bring players in to it.

Does this at last mean the game has woken up to the reality of Rugby Union poaching?

With the losses of Joel and Kyle Eastmund last season, you'd have thought anyone would realise there was a problem, but I've still got no faith that the RFL have.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens when the next starlet is targeted by Union, but it's interesting that two likely convertees - Hall and Watkins - have recently committed themselves to long-term deals at Leeds. Has more of this stuff been going on behind closed doors (different types of extra payment, I mean, authorised by the RFL)? If so, it's about bloody time.

Just shows how much IL and those behind the scenes at Wigan did all they could to keep Sam in the game.
If SKY contributed like it appears they have then well done to them!
The only ones against have to be those who couldn't care less if RL loses its best talent.

Fantastic. Throw anything like this at him to make him stay.

Can't see the point, this will just increase his profile before he signs for Union in 3 years time. The RFU will want to make him the posterboy of the 2015 world cup in England, this can only help establish him as a semi household name. The fact that Tomkins would take such a role shows he quites like the attention (and rightly so, he's the best player on the planet) shows he would relish the higher profile in rah rah. Fair play to Sky for trying something like this though!

Am I the only person who is of the opinion Sam with his current build wouldn't make it as a Rugby Union international? IF (when) he does cross codes the team that buys him (Sarries) will have a big job on their hands not only teaching him the rules but bulking him up to handle the rucks and tackling involved within the sport. Sam adding weight in my opinion would make him less of the illusive player he is reducing his main attribute, maybe I'm optimistic but I don't think Sam Tomkins as a Rugby Union player he is a natural Rugby League player in every way though.