Warrington Wolves produced a second-half masterclass to set up a Challenge Cup semi-final with Huddersfield Giants, as Sam Burgess’s magnificent start to life as a head coach continued with an impressive victory over St Helens.
Burgess has had a transformative impact since taking charge at Warrington in the off-season. The Wolves sit second in Super League after the opening seven rounds, and they are now just one win away from a trip to Wembley in Burgess’s first season in charge. This was arguably their most accomplished display under the former England superstar, too.
They trailed the Saints 8-7 after an enthralling opening 50 minutes but the final half-hour belonged to Warrington, who scored 24 points without reply thanks largely to the brilliance of the England captain, George Williams, to book their place in the final four. The Saints were more than a match for Warrington in the initial stages but in the end, could have no complaints about the outcome.
They were ultimately outclassed as tries from Matty Ashton, Connor Wrench, James Harrison and Williams himself put the result beyond doubt in some style. “I’m really happy with the effort,” Burgess said. “Everyone’s just doing their job. I’m really happy for the guys, it was a brilliant team performance.”
Josh Thewlis’s try put the Wolves into an early lead but the Saints were arguably the stronger of the two sides in the closing stages of the first half. They went ahead when Jon Bennison converted a Konrad Hurrell try, but a penalty from Thewlis, followed by a drop goal from the boot of Williams on the stroke of half-time, gave the Wolves a one-point lead at the break.
Bennison then kicked a penalty of his own to put the Saints in front by a point: but what happened next stunned the home supporters into silence. “I’m disappointed,” the St Helens coach, Paul Wellens, reflected. “There’s a big prize at stake, it’s a Challenge Cup quarter-final, it’s a big derby game and we didn’t quite get it right.”
The Hull KR head coach, Willie Peters, heaped praise on Joe Burgess and said the fleet-footed winger is doing all he can to seal a new deal at Craven Park after his 90-metre dash capped Saturday’s 26-14 Cup win over Leigh.
Burgess, who signed a 12-month deal at the start of the season, followed up with a second try as Rovers finally managed to shrug off the holders and claim some measure of revenge for last season’s painful Wembley loss to the same team.
After watching his side seal their place back in the semi-finals, Peters said: “Joe’s pace is something we lacked a little bit last year, and bringing in someone like him gives us something we didn’t have last year. We have still got to make some decisions around the group, but Joe is certainly doing everything he can to extend his time here.”
Rovers retrieved a four-point half-time deficit but Leigh, in spite of their poor start to this season, kept in the hunt until late tries from Niall Evalds and Elliot Minchella saw the hosts home.
Ian Watson hailed Huddersfield’s “awesome win” after they stunned the Super League leaders, Catalans Dragons, with a 34-6 quarter-final success in Perpignan. The full-back Jake Connor was the star of the show with a 14-point display including the first try, which was followed by scores for Adam Milner and Adam Swift for a 16-0 half-time lead.
Sebastine Ikahihifo took the Giants further ahead then Esan Marsters made it an improbable 26-0 lead before Dragons’ centre Matt Ikuvalu restored some home pride. Kevin Naiqama finished the romp for Huddersfield, sending them into the semi-finals with a flourish.
Watson said: “That’s an awesome win for us, we’ve been slowly building through the season and we were confident coming here. We like the weather and it suits the way we want to play. We like a dry fast track, we feel we’ve got speed and we’re definitely pretty fit as a team.” PA Media
However, Burgess’s side were simply sensational when it mattered most. They went back ahead when Ashton produced an extraordinary one-handed finish and six minutes later a pinpoint Williams kick was grounded by Wrench to extend the Wolves’ advantage. For the first time in the game, there was a two-score gap and Warrington didn’t stop there.
Harrison barged his way over some tired Saints defence to put the tie beyond doubt before Williams finished an exceptional Matt Dufty break in the dying moments to put the seal on perhaps Burgess and Warrington’s standout performance of 2024 thus far, and move them to the brink of a Wembley final in June.
