Part of the problem may be that Tomkins has refused to take the abuse lying down. After the Headingley outbursts he none-too-subtly chided the braying mob.
"I don't mind taking a bit of stick when you are playing at club level but, when you look at the most successful teams in rugby, they've got a quality fan base behind them," he said at the time.
"We definitely had some genuine fans there cheering for England and probably I was under a slight illusion that there would be more of them.
"But it's a bit of a joke when you're getting booed representing your country on English turf."
Two months later, Tomkins hit back at his major tormenters - Leeds fans - slipping them a cheeky V sign during a try celebration as Wigan stormed to a 28-18 victory in the Challenge Cup final. His actions earned Tomkins a suspended £1000 ($2000) fine for improper conduct. It also did little to endear him to fans outside of the Wigan enclave.
Tomkins' next - and possibly most heinous - crime was to openly ponder a switch to rugby. Having moved to Wigan with his parents from Milton Keynes as a child to help further his development, he is viewed as having been nurtured by the sport. A switch to the brighter lights of rugby just as he enters his prime would have been viewed as the ultimate betrayal.
Suspicions about his commitment to league first surfaced when he and brother Joel, also an England league international, linked with a London-based player management agency with a record of facilitating the code switches of league stars such as Chris Ashton, Lesley Vainikolo and Shontayne Hape.
That situation came to a head this week, with Joel Tomkins joining Saracens for an estimated transfer fee of £250,000 and Sam signing a contract upgrade at Wigan that sees him become Superleague's highest-paid player, on an estimated salary of £300,000.
He told England's Guardian newspaper that the decision to stay was not just about money, hinting it had something to do with fear of the unknown.
"The increase is nice but my first thought was what do I really want to do? It's rugby league and I know I'm not too bad at it. In rugby union, who knows?" That recommitment to the 13-man code is sure to draw some of the poison out of the anti-Tomkins lobby's fangs, while he has also been helping his cause on the field.
Before the current Four Nations his international form had been subdued. But the four tries Tomkins scored against Wales in England's opening match and a superb follow-up display against Australia finally added some substance to the hype.
Originally a five-eighths, the slightly built Tomkins has found his true calling at fullback. With a skill set comparable to Billy Slater he is undoubtedly England's best player - and potentially the country's best player of a generation.
However, representing such an angst-ridden nation in such an angst-ridden sport is always a precarious undertaking. If Tomkins turns out to be the saviour England have been praying for, then his rehabilitation in the eyes of the public will likely be complete. But if he fails, the response will be brutal. It won't necessarily be Tomkins' fault, but he's clearly already in the crosshairs.
"When you come to support England, you should support England no matter who is playing for them," said captain Jamie Peacock after Tomkins was booed in Leeds.
Unfortunately for Tomkins, it appears he'll only be accorded that courtesy when England win. If they stumble against the Kiwis on Sunday morning, England's newly crowned highest-paid player will most certainly bear the brunt of a nation's discontent.
