Sam Burgess blasts Warrington Wolves' interchange loss in win over Hull FC
Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess has blasted the decision that saw his side run with one less interchange against Hull FC. The Wire were told pre-match that they could only use seven rotations instead of the normal eight as a result of an admin error with the submission of their 21-man squad.
The error was around back-rower Adam Holroyd, who was named on the interchange and came on in the second half of Warrington’s 24-6 victory on Friday night. Holroyd was named in the 21 that was put on Wire's social media, but clearly not on the list sent to the RFL.
Burgess, meanwhile, said that someone needs to be ‘held accountable’ in his interview with Sky Sports, and that frustration carried on into his post-match press conference. The Warrington coach, who said Hull complained when they saw the error, said that ‘common sense’ should have prevailed and also mentioned player welfare.
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“I’ve got to get some more information before I say too much,” he said. “I was pretty animated on Sky after the game. I was told I was losing a substitution, and I couldn’t understand why. I had done my process exactly the same as I do every week. I named my 21, and it got sent in. You all got it, didn’t you?
“Everyone else got it except the RFL, Hull complained, and I lost a sub. They said Adam Holroyd wasn’t in the 21. It’s just not good enough. It’s actually not good enough. There was an option to give us our sub back because there was a mess-up, but some choices were made not to do that.
“I don’t know what we’re trying to do. We’ve got all these protocols around player safety, player welfare, and health, and we’re all concerned about them until someone gets a chance to get one up on the other team. Where’s the common sense in that? Is it asking too much for a bit of common sense?
"That's all it was. The players deserve that. If the shoe was on the other foot, common sense should prevail in my eyes, and we should always make decisions that are best for the players. It’s pretty simple."
Burgess was also involved in an altercation with Hull FC director of rugby, Richie Myler, in the tunnel pre-game. The Sky Sports camera showed the Wire head coach colliding with Myler with some words evidently said.
"It’s a very small corridor,” Burgess said. “He made some smart comment as I was walking past him, and there was really no need to do that. I get he’s new to the job, and so am I." Asked if he's okay with Myler, Burgess added: "The game is done now."