WIGAN WARRIORS remain the team to beat in Super League XVI.

After winning last season’s Grand Final – they beat deadly rivals St Helens 22-10 at Old Trafford – the famous cherry and whites look more than capable of defending their crown.

Although they are third in the table, they are just one point behind leaders Warrington and the second-placed Giants with a game in hand.

And while the top two have lost five games from 18 games so far, Wigan have lost three and drawn three of their top-flight fixtures.

Their latest success was last Friday’s excellent 32-10 away win at Saints, when the final margin of victory didn’t really reflect how dominant the Warriors were.

Their first-half performance, in particular, when they built up a 20-0 interval advantage was world class, and if they can maintain that level of form between now and the end of the season, they will clearly be the major force.

AT the age of 22, Sam Tomkins is already an established England international.

Last season, the Wigan full-back played in all 34 games and crossed for 21 tries as he scooped the Super League Young Player of the Year for the second successive year and was also joint winner of the Albert Goldthorpe Medal with teammate Pat Richards.

Tomkins, who burst onto the scene by scoring five tries on his Wigan debut in a Challenge Cup win over Whitehaven in 2008, has pace and skill in abundance to open up defences and has the ability to switch between full-back and stand-off.