When Warrington Wolves take on the London Broncos for the second time in as many weeks, Sam Burgess maintains that their strategy won’t change.
And he anticipates that the team led by Mike Eccles will perform better than it did on Sunday in the nation’s capital when they take on them at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Six days after The Wire thrashed the newly promoted Broncos 58–4 in the Super League, Eccles takes his team to The Halliwell Jones Stadium for a Challenge Cup sixth-round match and an instant opportunity at atonement.
Once again, Warrington will start as clear favourites, but Burgess wants his team to play with the same fervour and intensity that prevented the Broncos from expressing themselves on Sunday.
He emphasised, “We’ll approach this game in the same manner that we approached last week.”
We’ll be careful in our preparation because it’s a new game and competition.
We’ve only really had one major training day, which was Wednesday, and they were fairly good. It’s been a six-day turnaround.
“I believe London will be superior. We did, in my opinion, play a good style that limited them and slightly pressured them.
“We’ll see how we go and we’re going to change a few things as well, but the mindset will stay the same.”
This week, the Super League’s main event takes a backseat as the elite teams start their journey to Wembley.
Warrington hopes to make their first trip back to the national stadium since winning the illustrious old trophy there in 2019.
Burgess was a member of the Bradford Bulls team that advanced to the 2007 Challenge Cup semifinals before falling to St Helens, but he never had the opportunity to participate in a Challenge Cup Final while he was playing in England.
His only other playing experience at Wembley was a heartbreaking one; in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup semi-final, he scored a memorable try for England, but Shaun Johnson’s last-second try helped the team lose to New Zealand.
All of that is plenty of incentive for a rivalry Burgess is eager to get back together with.
“I think it’s brilliant that the Challenge Cup is a bit earlier in the year this year,” he said, referring to the opportunity for the competition to take a week off. This year’s final is scheduled for June 8.
“The season is progressing more quickly, which is also very exciting.
“I personally look forward to getting back involved in it, and Warrington has a great history there to try and continue after some recent great success in the cup.
It was always fun to participate in as a player, especially as you advanced through the more challenging stages.
“As a player, I have never advanced to the Challenge Cup Final, so our group is thrilled.
We’ve set aside Super League because it’s a totally different competition, and this week we’re concentrating all of our attention on the Challenge Cup.
It’s an opportunity for us to grow and develop as a team. We’re still getting to know one another a lot because we’re a young team with unfamiliar structures on both sides of the ball.
“After five games, we’re improving on small details.”
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