Just announced on twitter that Sam will be a guest this Saturday.
Great publicity for the sport, he really is becoming the face of the game.

Quality stuff, although I havn't really watched the show since Lovejoy left.

Great to see Sam getting so much publicity, at Uni he is the only current RL player anyone knows much about. He has become a nationwide star in just a few years.

It will be good to see him in such a relaxed interview for a change, we will no doubt hear some funny stories as well.

Can I be the first to say.......................

Well he hasn't got anything else to do on Saturday has he!

He should have been the RFL's guest of honour. Presenting the trophy to the winners as well as giving his special "Sam" salute to the losing team.

<bump>

He will be on very soon.

I found that very difficult to watch. It seems to be aimed at viewers who would find "Gigglebiz" a bit high-brow.

His prsence wss good publicity but the show is awful. It would've been nice if the presenters had attempte to do some proper research into Rugby League over the last few days instead of just reading Sam's Twitter feed. Just a bit rubbish really.

Found it annoying that they made no effort to learn anything about RL and they seemed to be surprised he was so modest (aside from the messi joke haha) where a footballer would have been saying "yeah I'm the best man no worries" etc.

Just been listening to radio 5 in the car. They were previewing the match with Harris and Millward who coaches 'Castlefield'.

How long has he had a verified Twitter?

Must be the first RL player.

Nice to see him mingled in with the high-profile types at the presentation, and also shaking the hands of the players after their cup and medal presentations.

Was he there as a RL profile-boosting thing, or is he still a Warrington fan from his youth days?

BBC presentation and guests were not too bad but would have been nice to see a current player from neither finalist team having some input?

The RL profile boosting thing. He was on soccer am in the morning and then had a motorcycle taxi to wembley from the studio.

i heard that sam had to be there and he also had to be seen publicly on national tv as part of his enhanced contract

Found it a little cringeworthy TBH. Max and Helen were very under-researched, called the JJ salute that 'thing' you do, compared RL to Union as in, they are all fat, and Sam didn't come across well IMO. Surely they should have had some scripted questions and answers?
It was a terrific opportunity to get some non-fans interested in our sport, but I think they blew it.

He may have been down there house hunting for when he joins is now anonymous brother down sarthe.

Agreed....It doesn't help that the programme is so amateur and treats any sport that isn't soccer as unworthy of serious discussion.

The whole theme of Tomkins being some sort of God among a sport full of unfit, unskilled numbskulls was a tedious one, and it would have been nice had Sam actually pulled them up on their constant insults and actually defended his sport from such nonsense.

I actually thought he did well.

"Best player ever". You could see he was embarassed and his "I doubt that" was a perfect response.

He then played along with "T'ing the P" out of RU, though clearly everyone could see it was tongue in cheek. What else could he do in the situation.

In fairness Sam played it well and showed he has a "media brain".

The interviewers should take a look at themselves though.

I agree with you that the interviewers were the problem - Their ignorance was embarrassing.

I don't think Tomkins did badly, I just think that in hindsight, we, as a sport, shouldn't have to lower ourselves to that type of exposure, if all it is going to be is general -taking of our sport.

The most annoying part was the thing about his northern accent. Sorry is the heart of English football not the north west? Do they never have northern footballers on? Pretty sure they've had people From Newcastle and Liverpool on there and I'm pretty sure They've had people from Manchester on before and they've had Richard Ashcroft and Noel Gallagher on there. I used to like soccer am a few years ago but since Tim lovejoy left its gone very downhill. It was going downhill before he left tbf and I think he jumped ship as he saw it sinking and didn't want his career going with it.

Tbf it was in response to one of his 'tweets' or in reply to someone else's.

Soccer AM is just a light-hearted programme, and I think people forget that. Chris Ashton got similar stick when he was on last season...if we had a similar style of show about RL do you think we'd be any different if a footballer or RU player was a guest on the show? Yes it's gone down hill since Lovejoy left, but it isn't as bad as people make out.

It is terrible compared to under Lovejoy though.

Pictures of Sam in the crowd were posted on the big screen at Wembley yesterday and the Leeds fan sat next to me let out a barrell of abuse aimed at Sam . Needless to say the said fan was advised of the error of his ways IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS .

Do you know the main problem with expanding rugby league or rugby league in general
THE FANS
I've never known a more negative boring moaning set of folk in my life
It's publicity be all and end all
Just because 20 people on here think its a crap show are you ignorant enough to believe the rest of England does
Soccer am gets millions of viewers every week that's loads more people now know Sam , 'may' have an interest in what he does
And for me more importantly millions of people who didn't before now know about joining jack . Not really a bad thing is it ?
It's the same with everything that's done to try and raise the games profile people just slate as crap with no other suggestions of what else to do
I believe some people on here would be happy for are game to slide towards semi pro standard just to prove themselves right

Were you surprised?

No , not in the least