SAM Burgess insists Round Five opponents London Broncos will be given “the respect they deserve” by his Warrington Wolves players this weekend.

And despite their winless start to the year, he believes the men from the capital deserve more credit than has been afforded to them.

Having won promotion from the Championship against the odds last year, London’s first four games have seen them suffer heavy defeats to St Helens, Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors – Super League’s top three sides in 2023 – either side of a narrow loss at Hull FC.

They are conceding an average of just over 40 points per game, leading many to expect a dominant Wire victory on Sunday.

Burgess insists his players will approach the game with “ferocity” but believes their opposition will pose more of a threat than people think.

“If you look at who they’ve played, they’ve had St Helens, Catalans, Hull and Wigan,” he said.

“Hull scored right on the bell to beat them, Catalans completed at 90 per cent and played extremely clinical, St Helens defended like St Helens do and Wigan started slowly – I think it was 22-16 at half time – and then got clear in the second half.

“They’re a tough team, a young and new team that’s finding its way but I think they’ve had a tougher start to the year than any other club.

“We need to give them a bit more credit than has been given to them, because they’ve competed in every game and have completed pretty high.

“They’ve got some great players so we’re giving this game the respect it deserves.

“It's really about getting our game right again as there’s things that we need to improve from the Hull KR game.

“In regards to London, we’ll pay them the respect they deserve but we’ll approach the game with our own ferocity.”

Should all go to plan in the capital, The Wire will look to stretch their winning run to four matches and continue their encouraging early-season form under Burgess.

And the rookie head coach was keen to add the context of the ever-changing nature of his selection, with at least two changes to be made on Sunday as George Williams (ankle) and Lachlan Fitzgibbon (family bereavement) are ruled out.

“I’m pleased with the team, especially given we’ve had no continuity,” he said.

“Our halves partnership has changed in every game and we’ve had no real continuity on the edges – our right edge has changed a fair bit and our left edge will change this week.

“There’s been a lot of change but we’ve handled it well and have got the job done.

“Leon (Hayes) is a half who is 10 games into his career if that, but he’s played the last three games and managed them really well.

“Matt Dufty has been nothing short of exceptional and there’s been some good performances through the middle.”