Sam Burgess’ classy words on Widnes Vikings after enthralling Challenge Cup tie

Warrington boss Sam Burgess heaped praise on Widnes and his opposite number Allan Coleman following the Wolves’ enthralling Challenge Cup Fourth Round tie against the Vikings.

Burgess’ side twice had to come from behind at the DCBL Stadium on Saturday evening, and only hit the front foot for good when veteran Ben Currie crossed the whitewash with nine minutes remaining.

Samoa international Zane Musgrove then grabbed a late try which pushed the final result out to 26-16 in Wire’s favour, though that scoreline flattered the visitors having trailed for large spells.

With the win, Warrington progress into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, the competition through which their most recent major honour was won back in 2019.

Sam Burgess’ classy words on Widnes Vikings after enthralling Challenge Cup tie

Given the pair’s locality, it’s no surprise that Widnes are a club and a side that the Wolves know well.

The Vikings are one of the Super League outfit’s dual-registration partners this year, and youngsters Max Wood – another of their try-scorers in the cup tie – has been donning a Vikings shirt for much of the campaign so far.

Under Coleman’s tutelage, they had already beaten the Wire 36-22 in a pre-season clash at the Halliwell Jones Stadium back in January.

Speaking post-match, Burgess threw plenty of praise the way of their Championship opponents, saying: “I knew they were going to be pretty good.

“They were almost at full-strength and Allan (Coleman) has had them playing really well for the last 12 months. I knew they were going to be confident and move the ball around a fair bit.

“They’re a great side. We’ve got to give credit to Allan and to Widnes – they’re a great side with good players.

“With the limited resources he has here, Allan gets the most out of his machine.

“You’ve got to give them credit, they will really challenge everyone in their competition this year.”