Sam Burgess: ‘I relate to my players because I come from

Warrington head coach on his Wembley dream, escaping NRL’s spotlight and enjoying family life in the north-west

The circumstances could hardly be any more different from the last time Sam Burgess was preparing for a major rugby league final. In 2014, there was the glitz and glamour of Sydney’s NRL bubble as he readied himself for a Grand Final performance for South Sydney that would be etched into rugby league folklore.

A decade later, Burgess is in an abandoned university complex on the outskirts of Warrington, which doubles as the Wolves’ training centre contemplating how his Wembley journey has come full circle. Twenty-five years on from a visit as a child that lit a fire inside him, Burgess will achieve his childhood dream of featuring in a Challenge Cup final on Saturday.