Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess gave his verdict on a game of two halves as Wire beat Huddersfield Giants to move third in Super League.
After an evenly balanced first ten minutes, Albert Hopoate broke the deadlock as he capitalised on a Niall Evalds error and from there, the floodgates opened as Warrington Wolves went in 28-0 up at half-time.
In a torrid second half, each side would score one try each as Warrington came out as 34-4 winners but that was all they needed as the Wolves move on to next week’s Challenge Cup tie against Hull KR.
Sam Burgess was well aware that his side will have to be far better than their second-half showing to beat the Robins, however, he gave plenty of praise for the opening 40 minutes, as well as to two of the club’s young stars.
Sharing his initial thoughts post-match on Sky Sports, Burgess assessed: “Yeah, very pleased. I thought the first half, we were clinical. The first 15 minutes were really intense, it was a tough battle. We were probably on the back foot for a little bit, so I[m happy that we managed that, and came out the other side.
“It was a solid performance in the first half. Let’s just leave the second half alone.”
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Second half aside, Wire looked exceptional in the first 40 minutes and it was teenage half-back Ewan Irwin who was pulling plenty of the strings once again and Burgess paid credit to the young talent.
He said: “It’s a little bit better from Ewan, I think he had some nice touches on the ball. Again, I think I’ve got to be careful not to expect too much of him, from my point of view, but I know he’s capable of it.
“I just want him to assert himself on the game as often as he can. I thought it was a bit better tonight.”
Irwin wasn’t the only teenager in the spine with Lachlan Webster starting at full-back over Josh Thewlis, with Burgess providing a positive injury update on Thewlis before showering praise on his replacement.
Asked if Thewlis would play against Hull KR, Burgess said: “He should be okay. He just pulled up a bit sore in training on Thursday. We just didn’t want to risk him. I thought Lachlan Webster on full debut tonight was outstanding. He just made one blip late in the game, but I thought he took his moments very well.
“He looked very comfortable. He’s only been with us this pre-season, he did a bit last year with us, but he’s a wonderful young lad. Tonight was great for him, so I’m really happy for him.
“They’re all young these days but yeah, he’s brave, he’s confident, and he’s got a lot of skills, so I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
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Job done in Huddersfield pic.twitter.com/pI6akoUowt
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) May 2, 2026
