Wednesday 2 July 2014 12:59, UK
Wigan Warriors may send dual-code international Joel Tomkins to Workington for his re-introduction into rugby league once they have got him back into shape.
Head coach Shaun Wane says the Super League champions have had to work on the 27-year-old second-row forward's body after he spent the last three years playing among the three-quarters in rugby union with Saracens.
Although Tomkins was playing as a makeshift centre when he made the switch of codes, Wane plans to use him mostly in the pack, the position in which he made his England rugby league debut.
He might go to Workington to get some match-fitness. He's not wrestled since he went to Saracens so he needs to get into the grind.
Tomkins, who has re-joined his hometown club on a four-and-a-half-year deal, is still at least four weeks away from making his eagerly-awaited return to the 13-man code after undergoing treatment for a back injury.
"He's got bigger already," Wane said. "He looks a real athlete now, working in the short period under Mark Bitcon (head conditioner).
"He didn't look like the Joel Tomkins who left when he came back in, which is unbelievable. But he's getting there now. He looks fantastic now. He seemed huge within a week."
Wigan have been badly hit by injuries in recent weeks but Wane is determined to allow Tomkins to make a gradual return, possibly with partnership Championship club Workington, who have had the use of fringe Wigan players all year.
"I'm not going to rush him or pressure him in any way," Wane continued. "I've told him that because I know what he'll be like, he'll be itching to play. He won't play before he's ready, even if we've got lots of injuries.
"He might go to Workington to get some match-fitness. He's not wrestled since he went to Saracens so he needs to get into the grind."
