Hull KR coach backs ‘mate’ Sam Burgess to turn Warrington fortunes around as 2026 prediction made
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has thrown his full support behind Warrington counterpart Sam Burgess, with the NRL legend heavily under fire at the end of a mightily disappointing campaign for the Wolves.
Wire make the trip to Craven Park on Thursday night for a Round 27 clash with nothing to play for but pride, knowing they can finish no higher than eighth on the Super League ladder having won just one of their last eight games.
That rotten run of form includes defeats to lowly Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants and Salford, with their 25-12 reverse at home to the financially-stricken Red Devils last month seeing tensions boil over.
Chairman Stuart Middleton publicly backed Burgess after that defeat, and confirmed he would remain in charge come the start of 2026, but heavy losses to both Leigh Leopards and Hull FC since have done little to appease a disgruntled fanbase.
‘You get your learnings in adversity’
Hull KR will wrap up the Super League Leaders’ Shield for the first time ever providing they avoid defeat on Thursday night, with this fixture last year being a play-off semi-final which Warrington came mightily close to winning.
Burgess’ side also pushed the Robins to their absolute limit under the Wembley arch back in July as Peters’ side edged the Challenge Cup final with a last-gasp try from Tom Davies.
Having seen how good a Burgess side can be on their day, KR’s Australian boss Peters believes he will turn things around, as he vowed in his own pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Peters, who worked alongside Burgess at South Sydney Rabbitohs, said: “I love big Sammy from his playing days.
“I’ve worked with him, got a lot of respect for him and he’s a mate now.
“The thing with him is that he’s been through adversity, so he understands how to get to the other side. If you break down the season as a whole, he lost his best players for periods this year and they’ve had injuries.
“There’s no doubt Sam will learn a lot from the season that they’ve had, certain individuals who are leaning in and not leaning in, and I know that they’ll come back better next year. They’ll have a strong pre-season with them, and he will have learned a lot.
“Sam’s come over here and had an outstanding first year. He’s had some challenges in the second year, but you get your learnings in adversity; that’s where you find out a lot about yourself and your players.
“He’ll do a lot in pre-season that’ll help in the new year. Sam will be fine, he’s a resilient bloke.”
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