Sam Burgess reacts to Warrington Wolves' win at Hull KR

The lead changed hands four times at Craven Park as both sides enjoyed spells of dominance, but Matt Dufty’s late try proved decisive for the visitors.

The 22-20 win would have been higher-scoring had both sides been more on target with their goal-kicking – Warrington converted just one of their five tries while Rovers added the extras for two of their four – but The Wire will be thankful it did not prove costly.

Matt Dufty is congratulated after scoring the winning try (Image: SWPix.com)

Willie Peters’ side will also point to a number of clear-cut opportunities missed, with James Batchelor most notably dropping the ball over the try line in the first half with his side 12-10 up.

However, it was Wire who came away victorious to leave Burgess a happy head coach.

“I was really happy with them,” he said.

“The game swung both ways a number of times on the good and bad sides, and we did it both ways quite well so I’m really pleased for the group.

“The result could have gone either way tonight – they bombed a couple and so did we.

“It came down to a couple of moments but thankfully, they were on our side tonight and we got the two points, which is tough to do here.

“Hull KR are a good team so we knew we were going to be on the back foot for periods, but it was step forward for us as a club.

“There were parts of the game I’m not particularly happy with, but I just like the spirit of the group.

“It was a good team effort. With a couple of bounces of the ball, things could have gone the other way tonight and Hull will no doubt be saying the same thing.

“It was a great contest and my players really stood up for each other.”

Dufty’s display once again proved a telling factor for The Wire – as well as his winning try, he also set up scores for George Williams and Connor Wrench as well as making more than 200 metres with ball in hand for the second consecutive week.

The Australian full-back has started the campaign in excellent form but Burgess insists there will be plenty more to come as the weather gets drier.

“I think we’re seeing a good side of Duft – he’s been good in every game,” he said.

“He’s great to work with and he’s passionate about the club.

“It’s only four rounds in and the tracks are pretty heavy, so when it gets a bit drier I think we’ll see a bit more from him.”

Matt Dufty scores after finishing off a scrum move (Image: SWPix.com)

Burgess was also effusive in his praise of young half-back Leon Hayes, who started a third game in a row for the first time at senior level.

He too recorded a try assist with a clever kick that was touched down by Matty Ashton while his well-disguised pass allowed Lachlan Fitzgibbon to set up Toby King.

With Josh Drinkwater now facing around a month on the sidelines with a thigh issue, Hayes has an opportunity to stake his claim to stay in the side longer-term and Burgess is pleased with how he is handling everything thrown at him.

“It was a tough environment for him but he did very well again,” the head coach said of the 19-year-old scrum-half.

“Hull KR put us under a lot of pressure and he was kicking out of tough spots, but he managed it.

“With Leon, it’s a slow burn – he’s in the team at the moment and he’s been challenged with some tough games but it’s great for his development. He managed it well again.”