PLAYERS sticking to what they had practiced and cutting out the errors pleased Sam Burgess the most when his Warrington Wolves side thumped Huddersfield Giants 48-0 at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night.

It was Warrington’s biggest home Super League win of the season – and the first time they have nilled a side in the competition this year – as eight different players got their names on the scoresheet.

Skipper Stefan Ratchford, brought back into the side at left centre but finishing the game on the wing due to enforced reshuffling because of injuries, crossed for one try and converted all eight for a personal haul of 20 points.

But the win was marred somewhat by injuries to Lachlan Fitzgibbon, who was making his first appearance since the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley because of a back problem, Connor Wrench and Toby King.

Burgess said: "There were some good things. I thought we were better because we stuck to our game plan which was important for us and we'd not really done that for the last three games. So I was pleased with that.

"We probably held our nerve a bit better. Previously we'd make a couple of line breaks and not quite ice that last moment, but today I thought we converted our line breaks much better.

"Probably confidence has been down but we played with a bit more confidence and a bit more intent today so they get the rewards on the end of that.

“We completed at 90 per cent, and it was 44 per cent in our last game so it’s a completely different game when that happens. It helps.”

The Wire had not been convincing of late, and this was their first victory on home soil for two months.

“Everyone else was worried, but I wasn’t too worried,” said Burgess.

“I know what team I’ve got in there, they know who they are. Everyone has off days and we just had a couple in a row.

“We’ve done a lot of work in the last four or five months. We knew this would happen at some point in the year.

“I’m just glad that we managed our way out of it.”

Burgess then confirmed the sour note to the evening, the injuries to Fitzgibbon, Wrench and King which meant some players doing longer minutes than planned and some playing out of position.

Back rowers Ben Currie and Matty Nicholson both ended up in the centres.

“It was pretty costly, we lost a couple of boys tonight,” said Burgess.

"Wrenchy doesn't look great. We don't know the extent but I don't think it looks good. It's his knee, but I don't know exactly what it is, but it's never good when it's out of collision and steps off it.

"It's the hard part about the game, it's one of those things. Unfortunately for Wrenchy he's been through it all before, so that's the sad thing for Wrenchy. He's a great lad and such an exciting player. We'll get the news and get him a plan out of there if it's what we expect."

Burgess was asked if it was the same knee in which Wrench suffered an ACL injury but he did not confirm.

He added: "Lachlan's a shoulder injury. We're just going to scan these guys. Kingy is hamstring and he won't turn around in six days' time for the Leeds game and he'll be out for a little bit.

"So we lost three. The pleasing thing on the backside, we lost Lachlan Fitzgibbon in the first 10 minutes so we had three on the bench. Then when we lost Wrenchy, and Toby straight away in the second half it left us with one on the bench so I was proud of everyone that handled the adversity playing out of position.

“We just did our simple things quite well and with a bit of intent.”

He was full of praise for his skipper Ratchford, who rolled back the years when he flew down the left wing for his second-half try.

“Peter Pan,” said Burgess.

“He’s just such a great pro. We’ve signed him for next year because he’s so versatile and such a great voice out there. He’s our most experienced player.

“He’s so easy to coach and will do anything that the team requires and he’s a great bloke to have round the place.

“We had an open chat early in the pre-season. I had him starting in the left centre because I thought he deserved to, and then he picked up an injury in pre-season and Kingy came in and did a good job.

“He’s such a great pro. He understands the reality that we have all the young outside backs but he can play in the halves, he’s played on the wing, centre, he’ll play in the middle if we needed. He’s such a valuable asset.”