Given their long-standing relationship, it perhaps came as little surprise that Sam Tomkins was the man entrusted with the responsibility of captaining England for Shaun Wane's first match as head coach.
The pair first crossed paths when Tomkins was a talented teenager making his way through Wigan Warriors' youth system where Wane was coach, later going on to work under him at senior level during the full-back's two spells with the Cherry and Whites which yielded Super League and Challenge Cup success.
A 26-24 defeat to the Combined Nations All Stars last Friday was obviously not the result either wanted to get the new era of the national team underway, but Tomkins was still proud to captain England and is excited to be working with Wane as the squad builds towards the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.
"It was a huge honour," Tomkins told Sky Sports. "Looking back, it's a proud time for my family with my parents being able to be there seeing me lead the national side out
"I've been lucky in that I've had a lot of good times during my career and being named England captain is right up there.
"I've known Shaun a long time and he was coaching me when I was 15. We've got a great relationship; we've worked very well together in the past at Wigan and hopefully that can continue at Test level."
That Tomkins has staved off competition from the likes of Hull FC's Jake Connor and Castleford Tigers' Niall Evalds to be considered the prime candidate for England's No. 1 role at present is testament to the form he has been in for club side Catalans Dragons recently.
The 32-year-old has been one of the key performers for Super League's French representatives as they have risen to the top of the table with nine wins from their opening 10 matches in 2021, building on last year's play-off semi-final appearance.
The Dragons' rise from being in a relegation battle four years ago to becoming Challenge Cup winners and Super League title contenders is thanks in no small part to the work of head coach Steve McNamara, another man Tomkins has a forged close working relationship with from the former's time as England boss.
"We've always had a good relationship," Tomkins said. "When I moved to New Zealand, we kept in touch and spoke a bit, then when I moved back to England he was at Sydney Roosters and then New Zealand Warriors himself, we stayed in touch.
"There has always been a lot of trust between us and when I went to Catalans, having experience with the coach makes it a little bit easier. He's been brilliant for me.
"I'm in a really good place at Catalans. It's a really good club, one I've learnt to love over the past two or three years and one I really want to stay at.
"Steve has got a tough job there mixing different languages and cultures together. It's a balancing act at times and I think Steve is getting it right at the moment."
While Tomkins will be observing former side Wigan in action against Warrington Wolves on Wednesday evening as guest pundit for Sky Sports' coverage of the clash at the DW Stadium, his focus will also be on the following night.
That will see Catalans aim to stay ahead of the chasing pack in Super League when they take on Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith's Stadium and attempt to make it six wins in a row.
"The big things for us at the Dragons is consistency," Tomkins said. "We want to be a consistent side and since the start of the year, I think we have been.
"We know there is a long way to go before the end of the year, but we want to stay in the mix, we want to be mixing it with the top clubs and we want to win some silverware."
Catalans have benefitted from an influx of up-and-coming French players this year too, with Tomkins impressed by how the likes of Arthur Mourgue and Mathieu Laguerre have seized the opportunities they have been given in Super League.
Knowing he could be facing some of his team-mates in the group stage of this year's World Cup when England face France in Bolton is already adding some more spice to that fixture too.
"It adds a little bit more to it," Tomkins said. "It's not only a World Cup game with points on the line, but also bragging rights for next year so we'll be making sure we perform well against France."