Toby King: Wigan Warriors move proves revitalizing for one of England’s mid-season Test debutants
Toby King is enjoying his time with Wigan after joining on a season-long loan from Warrington
Toby King was one of 13 players to win their first Test cap for England in the mid-season clash with France, but the center is no stranger to the international stage.
King’s first outing came barely six months after appearing for Ireland at the Rugby League World Cup, playing in all three of his ancestral homeland’s group-stage matches and having first appeared for the Wolfhounds in 2016.
The 26-year-old admitted his decision to switch to England with the next global gathering coming up in just over two years’ time led to some awkward conversations with Ireland head coach Ged Corcoran and his own brother George, the Hull Kingston Rovers forward who also happens to be Ireland captain.
Toby King won his first England Test cap in last Saturday’s win over France
Nevertheless, the Wigan Warriors man is in no doubt he has made the right decision and immediately felt at home as part of Shaun Wane’s set-up as he began his England career with being part of a 64-0 win.
“It really hurt me to do that because I’ve got a lot of passion to play for Ireland,” King said. “My brother is captain and I’ve got a lot of respect for Ged, so it probably didn’t go down too well, but I felt it was a decision I had to make.
“Ireland have been really good to me, and I loved playing for them in the World Cup just gone, but it’s just one of those things I had to do.
“I was buzzing to get there in the England camp, and it was a pretty special moment. It was one of those where we couldn’t take France lightly, but we were just far too good on the weekend.”
Toby King crossed for this try as Wigan Warriors defeated St Helens in the Betfred Super League Good Friday derby
Switching international allegiance is not the only change of teams for King recently, leaving Warrington Wolves midway through the 2022 season to join hometown club Huddersfield Giants on loan followed by agreeing a season-long loan to Wigan for the current campaign.
So far, the move has proved a revitalizing one for King. He is only one of three Warriors players to play every single minute of the first 10 games of the Super League season and has settled into a center partnership with Jake Wardle – the man who, in a weird twist of fate, went in the other direction from Huddersfield to Warrington as part of last year’s swap-loan deal.
He believes he is reaping the benefits of getting an intense pre-season under his belt with Wigan and could not be happier with life at the DW Stadium. However, he is contracted to the Wolves until 2025 and as he stands is set to return to his parent club at the end of the season.
“The big thing was the pre-season,” King said. “I came in early and did a big pre-season – I didn’t get one last year due to medical reasons.
Toby King’s 2023 Super League stats so far
| Games played | 10 |
| minutes played | 800 |
| tries | 4 |
| Try assists | 3 |
| Meters gained | 1,223 |
| Average meters gained | 7.24 per carry |
| offload | 23 |
| Tackle busts | 32 |
| Line breaks | 4 |
| Line break assists | 5 |
“I had a big pre-season with the coaching staff which was all brilliant, and they put me to work and I feel fitter and stronger.
“I loved my time at Huddersfield – I’m a Huddersfield lad so it meant I could move back home for a bit and there are some boys I know back there – but I’m just enjoying it now with Wigan.
“We’ve had a few chats about staying, so I don’t know what will happen with that. I just leave it all down to my agent and you try to not think about it as much as you can, but obviously it’s in the back of your mind.”
Certainly, Wigan head coach Matt Peet could not be happier with how King has been performing since swapping the primrose and blue for the cherry and white, and would be keen to extend his time at the club beyond this year.
Toby King has settled well into life with Wigan
“He’s made a good start and settled in really well,” Peet said. “He’s a very popular member of the group and he seems to enjoy the environment.
“I know he’s really happy here and he would be great if he could be here beyond this season. We like him, we respect what he brings to the group, and I think he’d fit in well as a Wigan player.
“He’s 10 games in, he’s made a great start, he’s fit as a fiddle, and I was really proud of him at the weekend.”
Of biggest concern for both Peet and King though is Thursday’s trip to Hull FC, with the Warriors aiming to extend the six-game winning run which had seen them ascend to the top of the Super League on points difference prior to the international break.
Highlights of Wigan Warriors’ 22-6 win over Wakefield Trinity in Round 10 of the 2023 Betfred Super League season
The Black and Whites arrested their disappointing start to the season with a 20-14 win over Huddersfield in Round 10 and King is wary of the danger posed by Tony Smith’s side, particularly on their home patch.
He is mindful of what happened on their last trip to the city as well in the opening round of the season when they were beaten 27-18 by FC’s cross-town rivals Hull KR and King ended up being tormented by Shaun Kenny-Dowall as the form New Zealand international ran in a hat trick.
“It’s going to be a big test,” King said. “They got the win they needed [against Huddersfield] and Tony Smith is classy, so you’ve got to expect the unexpected.
“Our last trip to Hull didn’t go down too well, especially myself, so hopefully we can write a few wrongs this time and have a good trip away.”
Watch Hull FC host Wigan Warriors as Round 11 of the Betfred Super League season gets under way on Thursday evening, live on Sky Sports Arena. Coverage starts at 7.30pm with kick off at 8pm. Also stream on NOW TV.
