Warrington Wolves Coach Sings Praises for Hull KR Counterpart Ahead of Key Super League Clash
In a pre-match press conference, Warrington Wolves coach Sam Burgess has lavished big praise on Hull KR counterpart Willie Peters ahead of their Thursday night Super League encounter. The Wire will host the in-form Robins at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, with the visitors looking to continue their strong run of results that has seen them defeat Wigan Warriors and reigning champions St Helens in recent weeks.
Burgess, who is great friends with Peters, was full of admiration for the job the Hull KR boss has done since taking charge of the club last year. “He’s done a magical job, hasn’t he?” Burgess said. “I’m a big fan of Willie, and I’m just a big fan of what he has done for Hull KR. I think everyone involved with the club will be really proud of what he’s brought, not only to the club but to the community and the area. He’s done a fantastic job, he really has.”
The Warrington coach also acknowledged the impressive form of the Robins, who he believes are currently the “form team in the league.” “You can probably say they are the form team in the league, they’ve beaten Wigan and Saints in consecutive weeks so they are in some good form and are playing a great style of rugby. They really do test you out so we are going to have to be good (to get the win).”
Burgess expects another tight contest between the two sides, having edged out Hull KR 22-20 when they met earlier in the season. However, the Warrington boss believes the Robins have further strengthened their side since that initial encounter, with the combinations and new signings gelling well.
“Their combinations are better,” Burgess said. “They’ve moved (Peta) Hiku to the centres, Niall Evalds has gone into the full-back role, Mikey Lewis just gets better every game so their combinations are growing. You’ve got to remember they’ve a few new signings – Jai Whitbread, (Kelepi) Tanginoa, Tyrone May – they had a couple of changes to their spine and now they’ve put Niall Evalds in there, so they’ve got some new combinations. They are 12 games into that now so they are going to naturally progress.”
Burgess is expecting another exciting contest between the two in-form sides, and believes the match will be a great showcase for Super League. “They are a team that are in-form, so we are going to have to nail all of our plays on both sides but it’s another chance for us to move forward as a group and as a club, and they’ll be in the same position so it’s going to be a great contest, I know that.”
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