SAM Tomkins is adamant he will not follow James Roby and reverse his retirement decision – the list of things wrong with his knee highlights that.
Put simply, the former England captain has already gone on longer than he should have according to some specialists.
And being able to carry youngest son Dylan down the stairs on the days after a game is progress.
Catalans Dragons star Tomkins hopes to ride off into the sunset – well, the backroom staff in Perpignan – on the back of helping Steve McNamara’s side to a first ever Grand Final win.
And even though they currently sit top of the table, there is no chance of a rethink. Just hearing what is happening with ligaments, bones and joints makes you wonder how he is still playing.
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“I’ve got a synthetic PCL in my knee, that’s re-ruptured,” said Tomkins. “I’ve got arthritis in my femur, I’ve got no cartilage, I’ve no meniscus, I’ve a medial tear.
“It’s not one issue an operation can sort out. Those things combined, it’s pretty shot. I wish I could do a James Roby and change my mind. But unless I get a titanium knee, I’ll not be making a U-turn.
“Three specialists at the end of last year all advised me to retire straight away but that wasn’t in my plans. I knew I had one more year in me but I’d be crazy to do it again.
“The acid test is usually when I wake up and my baby boy wants carrying down the stairs. If I pass him to my wife, Charlotte, it’s a bad week.
“As soon as I finish a game, I’m using a machine and the spare room at home is like a recovery room. On my days off, I’m in there every two hours for about 30 minutes.
“It’s about managing it. I knew that would be the case when I decided to continue playing but I’m really lucky I’ve got a wife who sorts everything out for a couple of days while I’m hobbling about.”
Tomkins’ off-field skills mean he could go to whichever club he wanted but France is home, even though his elder sons point out where he is going wrong with the language.
He could have come back to England last year but revealed he said no because wife and kids would not come with him.
When he hangs up his boots – and it will be when – he will move into a role working with sponsors, doing some coaching and helping the recruitment process, both in talking to players before they move and helping them go through what he did if they do.
He added: “I had some offers from clubs about 18 months ago to come back to England for this season and when I mentioned it to my wife, she just laughed and said, ‘You’re going on your own if you’re going back.’
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“That was decision made. I love France and all I’m bothered about is my wife and children.
“Staying there was very clear. My two eldest boys - Rex and Caine - are fluent in French, they don’t know anything else. It’d be more difficult to come back.
“And my French is OK, I can get by. I have lessons and a tutor and my two sons pick me up on every single thing I get wrong, which is daily.
“They just laugh. I say, ‘Do you understand me?’ They reply, ‘We do but it’s just rubbish!’
“After I finish playing, I’ll be involved in recruitment and settling new players in as I went through a lot of the challenges.
“I’ll do positional-specific coaching when needed and work with commercial sponsors, the Rugby Football League and IMG and getting across what we want to do and where we see ourselves.
“We’re a top four club now. We’ve cemented that and need to have the same say at the table as the other clubs.”
Before a potential last match at Old Trafford, Tomkins and Catalans have the small matter of sealing a top two finish in the table, meaning a home semi-final.
Steve McNamara’s men went two points from immortality in 2021, losing 12-10 to St Helens, but the 33-year-old believes everything is set up for Super League to head across the Channel.
He told SunSport: “This is a season of lasts for me and it’s been good playing back in the halves again, apart from having second rowers running into you.
“I’m just enjoying being on the pitch and embracing things. I’ve got a different outlook this year.”
