Smith resigned as England coach following the Four Nations, with Steve McNamara announced as the team's new head coach. Tomkins kept his place in the England team when they played France in a mid-season friendly, and he responded by scoring four tries on England's way to a 60–6 win, a record-equalling tally for an England player in a single match. Tomkins appeared in all three of England's matches at the 2010 Four Nations, firstly in a defeat by New Zealand where a Kevin Brown try scored from a Tomkins kick was disallowed by the video referee due to Tomkins pushing Greg Eastwood in the process. Another comprehensive defeat by Australia ended England's hopes of reaching the final, in a match where Tomkins made his first international switch from the halves to . He stayed in this position for England's final match against Papua New Guinea, a 36–10 victory in which Tony Clubb equalled Tomkins' four-try record.
