Sam Tomkins meets Superman

The real life Man of Steel came face to face with his comic book counterpart tonight when England star Sam Tomkins joined the Hollywood jet set at the European premier of the new Superman movie, Man of Steel.

Tomkins took a break from England’s intense preparations for the International Origin Match against the Exiles to tread the red and blue carpet at the premier in London, where thousands of fans turned out to see some of the most recognisable faces in the movie industry.

They included Russell Crowe, the Australian owner of NRL club South Sydney who plays Superman’s father Jor-el, and Henry Cavill, the English actor who plays the eponymous reporter-cum-superSuperman.

The England and Wigan full-back took on his role as an occasional presenter with Sky Sports to interview the stars as they made their way into the theatre in Leicester Square.

As the audience sat down to watch the summer blockbuster, Sam was whisked away to rejoin his England team-mates at their camp at Loughborough University ahead of the match against the Exiles at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, on Friday night (8.00).

“It was a fantastic opportunity,” said Tomkins. “It was great to meet Henry Cavill and interview him and to say hello to Russell Crowe and some of the other stars of the film.

“It’s not something you get to do every day and it was an experience that I’ll never forget. I’m looking forward to seeing the film, hopefully after we have put in a good performance on Friday night.”

England Rugby League can confirm that, unlike Superman, the Super League Man of Steel will not be wearing his underpants outside his shorts when he helps save the sport from the scourge of the Exiles on Friday.