Twitter mainly (not a reliable source I know) and I have kiwi relatives who've said similar. Some probably were disappointed, but he couldn't play the same way he did at Wigan. NZW are a totally different machine (and not a dominant side) and he had to play second fiddle to Shaun Johnson most of the time who seemed reluctant to give him a pass. Johnson, incidentally, is such an odd player he's outstanding internationally but at club level looks like a headless chicken half the time.

I may be slightly biased but I actually have watched the majority of his games and he was still breaking the defence, setting up tries and confusing defences all the over the shop.
I'm just betting that the majority who are saying he was a failure in the NRL and couldn't hack it, didn't actually watch him very often, if at all.

I think its fair to say that Wigan, as things stand, will be the team to beat next year. It's almost certain they will also go back to the old style of most things catered for, and going through Sam Tomkins and if he isn't that same player of a couple of years ago and teams are able to shut it down, it could create problems for Wigan as it is very one dimensional. I suppose we will get an idea in this coming series.

Tomkins is a great player....no doubt but i will be mightily relieved to see the back of Bowen who seems to save his absolute best games for us.

Leeds have, on occasions, got some mileage out of Tomkins failings at full back but Bowen seemed to destroy us every time we played, inc last Saturday when he was one of the better players on the pitch.

I'm also not quite ready to crown Wigan. Burgess will be a loss and I've heard rumours that O'Loughlin may hang up his boots due to the injuries.

If that's true about O'Loughlin, then why pick him over Cuthbertson for England? Shows McBanana up to be exactly what he is. A Useless Rugby League Coach.

Wigan are on two GF defeats. As saints can testify, that can become a habit.

Man for man there is no way Wigan should be favourites. Their scrum half is garbage, they are weak in the centres, their props are mediocre, hooker one-dimensional, loose forward on borrowed time. How they achieve so much has to be a credit to Wane.