WHEN lifelong Wolves fan Stephen Rutter was given the chance to sponsor up and coming Wigan star Sam Tomkins he swallowed his pride and got behind him.

The builder, who lives in Thelwall, has been a die-hard Warrington fan all his life, as has the rest of his family including his uncle Bob who has been the club’s kit man for the past 10 years.

Then the chance to sponsor Sam came along when Stephen’s late pal Danny Tomkins, Sam’s uncle, spoke proudly about his nephew over a pint at the Ram’s Head pub in Grappenhall.

As they chatted with pals about overpaid footballers, Danny mentioned Sam and how he was looking for a business to back him and that’s when Stephen stepped in and decided to help.

Stephen, aged 37, explained: “I was torn, I have to admit. I’d been thinking of sponsoring a rugby player for a while and Sam’s name came up in conversation.

“It was back in 2008 when he first started playing for the first team and I guess it just felt right.

“Although he didn’t play for Warrington, Danny was a friend of mine so there was a family link and he seemed like a good lad so I agreed to sponsor him.”

Father-of-two Stephen, who runs building and plumbing firm Samica, thought scrum half Sam, aged 21, looked ‘a bit weedy’ to be a rugby player when he first saw him.

But now he’s a rising star in the England squad, equalling the scoring record of four tries in one match against France last month and Stephen is eating his words.

Stephen does find himself torn when Wigan Warriors play the Wolves because while he wants Sam to shine, he wants his own team to win.

Tonight, Stephen will have his heart in his mouth as he watches Sam and his brother Joel’s team take on Warrington again.

He said: “I want Sam and Joel to do well, but I hope Warrington manage a win this time. At least it’ll stop me getting grief in the pub.”