Dual-code star Tomkins makes scoring debut
SARACENS (41) vs WORCESTER (14)
SARACENS coach Alex Sanderson praised rugby league convert Joel Tomkins after the former Wigan star capped his union debut with two tries as Saracens hammered Worcester at Vicarage Road in the LV= Cup.
The Premiership champions trailed 14-13 at half time but two scores from 24-year-old Tomkins within the space of five minutes prompted a blitz which saw Sarries score 28 unanswered points.
Victory may not be enough to ensure a safe passage through to the next round of the competition – Sarries still trail Pool One leaders Bath by five points – but Sanderson drew significant encouragement from Tomkins’ eye-catching debut.
He said: “Joel is an intelligent rugby player, and the more he plays, and the more he gets on the field, the better he will become.
“His core skills are second to none, as you would expect from a rugby league player, and the way he took his chances in the final quarter of the game, when a debutant coming from league might be forgiven had he drifted out of the game, was impressive.
“We have big hopes for Joel in the future because he is a talented lad.”