Sam Burgess found himself confronting familiar troubles as his Warrington Wolves faced a heavy defeat, losing 42-16 to the Wigan Warriors in the opening match of the rugby league quadruple-header at Allegiant Stadium.
The Wolves’ coach and South Sydney icon touched down in Las Vegas late in the week, as he was unable to travel from the UK with the rest of his squad last Sunday due to visa complications linked to three traffic offences in 2021.
Burgess had earlier expressed feeling “quite anxious” about the possibility of missing such a monumental Super League match, but by full-time, he would have likely preferred to be anywhere but on the Strip.
Harry Smith of the Wigan Warriors evades Jordy Crowther of the Warrington Wolves to score a try. Ezra Shaw via Getty Images
The Wolves showed promise in the first 20 minutes of the match, but soon found themselves on the receiving end of seven unanswered tries.
Warrington had a try denied early in the game after a previously completed tackle was assessed to be concluded before the ball was pilfered.
Toby King attempted to score but the video referee ruled the try out, as it was determined that Australian Adam Keighran’s arm made contact with the ground before King could rip the ball and reach across for a try.
Wigan also saw a try disallowed soon after, but rapidly broke through, finding their rhythm.
Tyler Dupree—nephew of a Super Bowl champion—along with Abbas Miski, Bevan French, and Harry Smith, all added tries in the first half, giving Wigan a commanding 24-nil lead at halftime.
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“They came so close. If they had managed an early score, the game might have turned out differently,” said Greg Alexander during the commentary for Fox League.
“However, they squandered their opportunities in the first half, and the try just before the break was a real blow. Being down by four converted tries presents a significant challenge.”
The Warriors quickly added three more tries at the beginning of the second half, worsening the situation for Warrington.
“This Wigan display is absolutely worthy of Vegas—it’s the best show happening this weekend,” remarked Andrew Voss during the Fox Sports commentary.
In the 65th minute, the Warriors found the score sheet again through centre Arron Lindop, with several more consolation tries following.
Warrington managed to string together a run of three tries in response, reducing their deficit from 42 points to 24, but the damage had already been inflicted.
The teams exchanged tries in the final five minutes, with Warrington winger Matty Ashton scoring just as the full-time siren sounded.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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