Sam Burgess hands Warrington Wolves contract boost ahead of crunch clash with Hull KR

Burgess was contracted for next season but the club have moved quickly to tie the 35-year-old down for an additional 12 months amid talk of NRL interest.

"It's great to extend my time at the club," said the Dewsbury native, whose side are level on points with the Robins at the Super League summit.

"I love the town and the community and both me and my family are really enjoying our time here. The support from the board has been fantastic and the fans have been brilliant with me.

"We"re heading in the right direction and I felt two years wasn’t enough and a third gives us more scope to plan with what we’re building here."

The announcement comes a year to the day since Daryl Powell's sacking following eight defeats in nine games for the Wolves.

Warrington CEO Karl Fitzpatrick said: "We are delighted to have secured Sam for a further 12 months.

"At a fans event at the beginning of the season, having seen in the pre-season how Sam operated, I promised our supporters that we would have a team this town and community can be proud of. It’s fair to say he has absolutely delivered on that.

"I think we’ve got the best and most sought-after young coach in the game. The foundations he and his team are laying will hopefully set us up for something special for a long time."