Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess has opened up about the adversity that shaped him ahead of his second season in charge. The 36-year-old former rugby league and union star guided Warrington to third place in Super League and a Challenge Cup final appearance in his debut campaign, and now aims to end the club’s 70-year wait for a championship.
Reflecting on the death of his father from motor neurone disease when he was 17, and the intense scrutiny he faced in Australia after the breakdown of his first marriage, Burgess said: “A lot of pain or adversity can be a great foundation for future success.” He added that he learned valuable lessons from those experiences.
Burgess admitted feeling self‑doubt when he took the job a year ago, but said it quickly faded thanks to his support staff, including director of rugby Gary Chambers and assistant coaches Martin Gleeson and Richard Marshall. “I realised I’m not by myself,” he said. “This season I’ve got higher expectations.”
The Super League season begins on Thursday, with Warrington travelling to Huddersfield on Sunday. The match will see Burgess come up against his younger brother Thomas, who recently joined Huddersfield after 249 games for South Sydney Rabbitohs. “We’ll be brothers forever but business is business,” Burgess said.
