He later returned to the squad when he was named on the bench for the Challenge Cup fourth round match, against the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on 2 April 2006.

The Wigan Warriors were bottom of the Super League and Noble decided to play a more experienced squad, which meant that Tomkins would not make another appearance during 2006.

Tomkins made five consecutive appearances at the start of the 2011 Super League season, including the opening fixture against St. Helens, before being sent-off in a game against Hull F.C.

[17][18] Tomkins fended Leeds Rhinos scrum-half Danny McGuire off and he side-stepped past Brent Webb and Carl Ablett to score under the post's, after an eighty-metre sprint.

[20] He also scored on his Heineken Cup debut against Edinburgh at Murrayfield in October 2012,[21] and played in the semi-final defeat to RC Toulon at Twickenham the following April.

[28] On 4 June 2018, Tomkins was banned from playing for four weeks and fined £10,00, affter footage posted on social media went viral of him abusing bar staff in a Wigan public house.

Tomkins himself tendered his resignation to Wigan Warriors' Rugby General Manager Kris Radlinski, which was accepted by all parties involved.

Following his resignation from Wigan, Tomkins signed an 18-month contract to play for Hull Kingston Rovers at Craven Park until the end of the 2019 seasom, despite interest from other rival Super League clubs.

[29] On 17 June 2018, Tomkins made his Hull Kingston Rovers' Super League début in a 24–24 draw, against the Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.

On 29 June 2018, Joel bagged his first try for Hull Kingston Rovers on his home début at Craven Park against the Huddersfield Giants, in a 37–10 Super League victory.

It was revealed on 24 November 2018, that Tomkins had penned a new three-year contract extension to remain at Hull Kingston Rovers until at least the end of the 2021 rugby league season.

[34] On 18 November 2021, Tomkins announced his retirement from professional rugby, after initially signing a contract to join Championship club Leigh Centurions[35][36] for the 2022 season.

[37][38] Tomkins was an interchange forward in a game notable for his brother Sam scoring four tries, and would be Joel's only international appearance against a national team on home soil.

[43][44] At the end of the season, Tomkins asked to be omitted from England's 2011 Rugby League Four Nations squad for personal reasons, ultimately switching codes while the tournament was in progress.

[51] Starting at outside centre in both tests, Tomkins enjoyed initial success against the Ireland Wolfhounds in a closely contested match, ending in a 14–10 victory for the England Saxons.

[52] However a week later, Tomkins experienced his first taste of defeat in a union white shirt by a strong Scotland A team, who ran-out winners 9–13, in a rain-swept match set in Newcastle.

The following week, Tomkins again played for the duration against Argentina,[56] before leaving the field injured with four minutes remaining against the All Blacks in his third and final appearance for England.