The England international Sam Tomkins will return to Super League with Wigan Warriors in a £200,000 deal from next season, the club has confirmed.
Tomkins signed a three-year deal with NRL side New Zealand Warriors after leaving Wigan at the end of the 2013 season but he will rejoin his first club on a four-year contract after cutting short his stay in New Zealand, declaring he was homesick.
“I am really happy to have this sorted and to be returning home to Wigan,” said Tomkins. “All of my friends and family live in Wigan. It really was a no-brainer for me when I sat down and thought about things.
“When I left Wigan I always knew in my heart that I would return to play for the club one day, and I am very excited at the thought of returning to the DW Stadium and pulling on that famous jersey once again.”
Wigan announced the deal for the former Man of Steel during Thursday’s Super League clash against Warrington. The club’s chairman, Ian Lenagan, said: “Sam is undoubtedly one of the finest players in world rugby and we acted swiftly when it became apparent that he wanted to return to the UK.”
Wigan received a world record transfer fee of around £700,000 when they released Tomkins to New Zealand Warriors but retained the first option to sign him on the event of his departure, a right they have now exercised.
He is the second Tomkins brother to return to Wigan in under a year, after his older brother, Joel, rejoined the club from the rugby union side Saracens last June. He will rejoin both Joel and his youngest brother, Logan, at the club.
The 26-year-old made 129 appearances during his first spell with the Warriors, scoring 107 tries and winning both the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup in 2010, as well as winning a second Super League title in 2013 in his final game for the club.
