''It's not something that's on any time scale at the moment, but I'm 24 and hopefully I've got a number of years left in me, so at some point I'd like to give union a crack,'' Tomkins said.

Tomkins' older brother Joel, who also made his name as a star for the Wigan league club, switched to rugby in 2011 and has already played three Tests for England.

The younger Tomkins said cross-code jumping was now commonplace and shouldn't create the controversy it has in the past.

''It happens quite a lot now, look at Israel Folau. Kyle Eastmond in England has done it and converted well, as my brother [Joel] has,'' he said. ''To be a dual code international is certainly something I'd like on my CV.

''I hope [Burgess] does really well. He has put himself in a position where because of how good he's been over the last four years, he's given himself the opportunity to do whatever he wants in either code. Fair play to him. He's done plenty for rugby league, certainly English rugby league and proving that Englishmen can not only stand up in the NRL, but be among the best players. I'm sure he'll take rugby union by storm.''