Sio Tomkinson

Sio Tomkinson (born 27 May 1996) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a centre for the Western Force in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. He has previously played for the Dragons RFC in the United Rugby Championship and for the Highlanders.

Early career

Hailing from Otago on New Zealand's South Island, Tomkinson was originally schooled at Kavanagh College in Dunedin before switching to Otago Boys' High School in 2011. He enjoyed a hugely successful time with Otago Boys', winning the Highlanders' first XV competition in each of his seasons with the school as well as scoring a record number of points in a year, more than 450 in 2014. After leaving school, he began playing for the Harbour Hawks in the local Otago club rugby competition.

Super Rugby

An impressive debut season for the Razorbacks in provincial rugby in 2015 saw him named as a member of the wider training group ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season. The presence of experienced backline players such as Malakai Fekitoa, Matt Faddes and Rob Thompson in the Highlanders set-up meant that Tomkinson had to spend the year kicking his heels on the sidelines, however, in 2017, new Highlanders head-coach, Tony Brown promoted him to the senior squad. He was also a member of the New Zealand Under-20 side which finished 5th in the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship in England, scoring 2 tries in 5 matches.