Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess spoke with pride after his side’s 16-14 win over Hull FC, with Wire coming through despite adversity as they lost three players.
One of those injuries came on just the second tackle of the game as Arron Lindop failed his HIA after head on head contact with Joe Batchelor, and Burgess confirmed that the young centre was left dizzy in the changing rooms after the blow.
Warrington would later lose Joe Phibin and Luke Thomas in back to back sets with Hull FC scoring two quickfire tries straight after, however, the Wolves did not break and Burgess highlighted that as a clear point of pride.
Assessing the game post-match on Sky Sports, Burgess said: “The conditions were very wet and the ball was slippery, I thought we controlled the game for large parts, but when they scored we got them straight away again, so that was a bit disappointing that they went try-try.
“I thought we controlled the game very well until the last 15-20 minutes, but again I think our guys are looking a little bit tired. We’re just the back end of the run that we’ve just had, so we need a couple of days off.”
As for the injury toll, he confirmed: “Obviously, Arron’s failed HIA, and I’m not sure. Luke Thomas’ knee didn’t look too good, so hopefully it’s not too bad, and Joe, again, a lower limb injury, so we’ll wait and see.”
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Warrington Wolves’ developing toughness hailed by Sam Burgess
In regards his pride at not only today’s performance but also the run of games in a short period, all of which the Wolves won, Burgess said: “They’re courageous. I’m very proud of them, they’re a joy to coach and a good set of lads, but we’re getting tougher, which is important.
“It’s an important part of our journey to get a little bit tougher and be able to manage these periods and just get on with the job.”
Such a run has understandably had an impact and Burgess confirmed that there would be some time off ahead of next week’s big game against fourth-placed Wakefield Trinity.
“The boys need a break, so a few days off and then we’ll have a look at Wakefield then,” he explained.
“The boys need a rest, more mentally than anything. I mean, I’m feeling a little bit tired from all of the review and previews over the last couple of weeks, so the boys will feel the same. We’ll give them a few days off and we’ll get into Wakey early in the week.”
Burgess was also unable to comment on Ligi Sao’s potential red card, instead expressing more concern for Arron Lindop, as he added: “I was more concerned with the Lindop one, obviously head-on-head looked pretty bad and he’s a bit dizzy in there, so those were a bit worse. Matty, I think, pulled up all right.”
He wrapped up his post-match comments by paying tribute to opposition player Tom Briscoe, who calls time on his career at the end of the year.
Burgess said: “I’ve played with Tom for England a couple of times, he’s a great fellow, and he’s had a great career, lots of longevity, and he was a bit of a bugger tonight scoring a try against us, but I wish him all the best in retirement.”
.@WarringtonRLFC hold off a late FC fightback 😅#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/tqO3yLcsx2
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 29, 2026
