Warrington Wolves coach Sam Burgess provides update on Leon Hayes injury

Warrington Wolves coach Sam Burgess says he feels for Leon Hayes after the half-back suffered a serious ankle injury in their defeat at Salford Red Devils.

The 20-year-old left the field on a stretcher following an innocuous-looking tackle in the 50th minute of Warrington‘s 17-12 defeat to Salford on Saturday afternoon.

The full extent of Hayes’ injury is still to be confirmed, with the Wire academy product in hospital awaiting scans at the time of writing, but Burgess says he expects to be without his talented playmaker for a lengthy period of time.

“It’s not a great one for him, it’s a tough injury,” Burgess said in his post-match press conference. “We don’t know the full extent but it’s not great, it’s not looking very good at all.

“I spoke to him on the phone, he’s in good spirits and he’s probably more disappointed with the loss if I’m honest, which shows a lot about his character. I’m gutted for him but that’s sport.

“He’s in hospital now awaiting scans and X-rays but I think it’s pretty clear there’s quite a bit of damage in there. It’s definitely dislocation and it looks as though it could be a fracture so it’s not looking good, he’ll be a long time on the sidelines so it was a tough night for him and a tough night for everyone.

“I’m gutted because I’ve got a lot of care and love for that bloke, but we do play a collision sport and it’s part of the game.

“I’ve got a soft spot for him, I’m probably more gutted for him than anyone else. I just didn’t like seeing him look like that.”

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Salford Red Devils prop ruled out of Huddersfield Giants clash

Salford’s victory also came at a cost, with key prop King Vuniyayawa failing a head injury assessment, which rules him out of next Friday’s trip to Huddersfield Giants.

The Fiji international left the field for a HIA in the eighth minute and was unable to return, meaning he has automatically been ruled out of next week’s match at the John Smith’s Stadium and will need to pass the return-to-play concussion protocol before he takes to the field again.

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