New Zealand Warriors to face Wigan Warriors in pre-season trial match

NEW Zealand recruit Sam Tomkins will make his Warriors debut against Wigan when they meet in a pre-season trial in February.

New Zealand Warriors NRL signing Sam Tomkins speaks to the media.

THE Warriors have squeezed a game against English club Wigan in Hamilton into their pre-season schedule.

The match, which could see new Warriors fullback recruit Sam Tomkins make his club debut against his old team-mates, will be played on Wednesday, February 12 at Waikato Stadium.

It comes three days after the NRL club's first pre-season fixture against the Gold Coast Titans in Auckland and three days before the inaugural Auckland Nines tournament.

Super League champions Wigan sought the match as a warm-up to their World Club Challenge (WCC) game against the NRL premiership-winning Sydney Roosters in Sydney on February 22.

The annual WCC has been played in England on all but two occasions - the original encounter between Eastern Suburbs and St Helens at Sydney in 1976 and Wigan's win over Brisbane in 1994.

Wigan Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan thanked the Warriors for fitting the match into their program, further strengthening the off-field ties forged between the clubs.

``Quite apart from the importance of the warm up game, being able to bring the two Warriors clubs together like this for the first time is great not just for us but for the fans and the game itself,'' Lenagan said.

Warriors coach Matthew Elliott says he can't confirm whether England international Tomkins would play in the Wigan game as he needed to juggle players across various pre-season fixtures, including a final game against the Brisbane Broncos in Dunedin on February 23.