WARRINGTON WOLVES boss Sam Burgess has backed Challenge Cup master Marc Sneyd to rise to the occasion once more in Sunday’s semi-final clash.
The veteran former England scrum-half is set to play a key role when Wire bid to dump out holders Hull KR and reach Wembley.
Given half-back partner and England captain George Williams is out “indefinitely” with a serious neck injury, more responsibility will land on his shoulders.
But Sneyd, of course, has experience of successfully piloting such high-profile games.
He won the Lance Todd Trophy as man-of-the-match when Hull FC won the Challenge Cup in 2016 and 2017 before claiming the same award last year before Warrington’s last-gasp Wembley defeat to the Robins.
Sneyd had been left out earlier in the season but is a perfect player to have in the wings now during Williams’ absence.
Burgess said: “We’ve been really lucky in that respect.
“Obviously, we’ve managed to give Ewan Irwin a bit of game time early in the year. So it’s nice to have him.
“But you’ve got to remember he’s only 18 years old.
“Sneydy obviously has been there and done it all before. He’s very composed, doesn’t get overawed by the occasion and I thought he was brilliant for us last year at Wembley.
“His management of the game was phenomenal. I think it’ll be required again for him to be at that level on Sunday.
“Knowing Marc, he won’t play the game too early.
“He’ll just wait to see what the conditions are on the day and manage himself around that. We’re looking forward to it.”
On whether Williams will play again this season or play in the World Cup, Burgess said: “It’s hard now to say he’s done for the year.
“I think we’ll never say that until he is done.
“But it’s not a broken bone. It’s the neck, a pretty serious area. We won’t take any risks.
“It’ll just be a case of seeing how he recovers from surgery and then how he progresses through his rehab.
“It’s a minimal requirement of time and that makes it pretty fine (close for the World Cup) I’d say.
“Knowing George, he’ll always have ambitions to push himself. It’s just making some good, balanced decisions for him and around him.”