Joel Tomkins pledges to end Catalans' ‘retirement home' tag after becoming coach

The Sun

23-07-2025

JOEL Tomkins has vowed to end Catalans' retirement home reputation as he looks to get them back to the top.
And the dual-code England international will take bits from coaches he has worked with in union and league.
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The 38-year-old has been handed the job of replacing Steve McNamara as boss until the end of 2027.
Top of his list is turning around the Perpignan-based Dragons, who have spent big and delivered little.
A big part of that is switching the way it will target stars from the NRL.
Tomkins said: 'The recruitment model moving forward is changing quite a lot, we're looking at the younger generation.
'It's quite obvious to see there are a lot of guys who've come from the NRL and are at the end of their careers, looking to play the last couple of years in France then retiring on the back of it.
'We're looking at guys who are still on the upwards slope, who are still climbing, who are coming over with a different mentality.
'They'd want to develop a reputation and either go back to the NRL as an NRL player or stay here long-term.
'The big one is we're avoiding those players who are coming to the end of their careers. We're looking at the other end.
'The average age of our top 20 players this year is over 31-years-old – we're looking at bringing that down to 26 or 27.
'You'll see that change over the coming weeks and months.'
Tomkins will not have little brother Sam on his staff as he is going into the media after he re-retires at the end of the season.
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And after working with big name bosses in his playing days, he will use one trait that unites them all into his coaching career.
He added: "I've spent a lot of time thinking about that over the last couple of years.
'I was really lucky to work under some of the top coaches in the world – Michael Maguire and Shaun Wane in league, Mark McCall and Stuart Lancaster in union.
'I also worked under Steve McNamara as a player and a coach and the thing the best coaches had was honesty and integrity.
'I'll be honest and upfront with the players. I'll tell them when they're doing well but I won't be afraid of having those awkward conversations when they're not.
'The integrity side means it doesn't matter what someone's being paid or what they've done in their career. You pick your team on who's playing the best rugby – not names or pay packets.'