Sam Tomkins set for Catalans Dragons exit as 2026 plans confirmed
Sky Sports pundit Sam Tomkins
New Catalans Dragons head coach Joel Tomkins has confirmed that brother Sam will not be part of the club’s staff when he retires at the end of the season.
Tomkins returned to the field last year for a second stint, after previously signalling his intent to call time on his playing career at the end of the 2023 season.
However, he has insisted he will not continue into 2026, leading some to suspect that he would combine an off-field role with Catalans along with his commitments with Sky Sports.
But Joel has revealed that his younger brother will instead fully focus on his media duties moving forward into 2026.
Sam Tomkins set for Catalans Dragons exit as 2026 plans confirmed
He and his family will remain in France, but the new Dragons coach confirmed that the plan is for Sam to step away from Catalans in an official capacity.
Joel said: “Sam’s made it quite clear that he’ll retire at the end of the season.
“He’s got a role in the media moving forward, so he’s quite clear that he wants to move forward working in the media whether that’s on Sky or with another broadcaster.
“Sam’s pretty clear that he’s a supporter of the Dragons, he and his family love living in Perpignan and they’ll continue to, but he’s got a clear motivation that he wants to move into a media role in the years to come.”
Tomkins agreed to return to the field midway through last year to help the Dragons after a difficult period with injuries.
However, his iconic playing career will definitely end in the coming months. Tomkins also has a role as England’s team manager that he is expected to keep for this year’s Ashes series.
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