Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess has declared that, provided they stay fit, Ewan Irwin and Leon Hayes will remain the starting halves throughout the 2026 season.
The young homegrown duo were key in guiding Warrington to another key win that saw the Wolves move top of the Super League table, with Irwin pivotal in the first try before scoring one of his own.
That’s understandably led to plenty of attention around Irwin, who is still only 18, but Sam Burgess was keen to keep a lid on the excitement around the half whilst also ensuring playing partner Hayes got his credit.
“He’s got plenty to work on,” Burgess said post-match in his presser, shared on the Warrington Wolves’ YouTube channel, when responding to big praise towards the teen.
He added: “I think Leon frees him up as well, Leon allows Ewan to have those moments. I think together, they work very well.
“Ewan grabbed a couple of things tonight, kicked well and he kicked the first conversion, which was an important one, so he took his moments well.
“There are a number of parts of his game that he won’t be happy about and that he’ll want to improve on but he’s 18 and four or five games into his career.”
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With the duo having had such a strong performance together, Burgess was asked if they now look set to be the starting halves for the remainder of the season ahead of the experienced Marc Sneyd.
Burgess admitted: “I’m learning that things can change very quickly so without getting too carried away and whilst they’re both healthy, they’ll play together.”
Speaking more on Irwin and why perhaps he has not gone overboard on public praise, Burgess said: “I don’t want to wax lyrical on Ewan because it just piles more (pressure) on him but he is coming along nicely. We’re very happy with him.”
Burgess also gave an update on Zack Gardner, who left the field early with a dislocated shoulder though Burgess initially believed the youngster to be knocked out.
“He didn’t look right on the floor so I was a bit upset that the game didn’t stop in the moment.
“He’s in a bit of a pain, it’s sad for Zack as he’s shown a bit of promise but he’s had a couple of niggles. He’s only going to get better from that over time.”
As for if any players could return for next week’s game against Leeds Rhinos, the head coach simply admitted: “I don’t know, I expected a few more back this week and a few more back last week, so we’ll wait and see.”
