Sam Burgess has admitted George Williams “incited” his ankle injury during Warrington Wolves’ win at Hull KR on Thursday night.
England’s captain returned earlier than expected, bringing on his captain The Wire in a narrow win at Craven Park and taking an early lead.
He is expected to be sidelined for at least another week and Burgess said it was too late to take the risk with regular halfback partner Josh Drinkwater out with a thigh injury.
With East Hull’s heavy pitch, Williams moved cautiously at times, but manager Wyre believes it was a risk worth putting him on the field.
When asked when it became clear that Standoff might be able to play, Burgess said: “About two hours before kickoff.
“We have quite a few people at the moment, so there has been a delay in contacting us.
“George is a tough guy, he’s not your typical halfback, but he kicked his ankles tonight.
“He may have paid a price, but I think it was worth it.”
Williams’ return was timely given that Drinkwater succumbed to issues plaguing him in the build-up to last week’s win over Castleford Tigers.
Now he looks ready for a few weeks of games.
“He’s probably about four weeks old,” Burgess said of the scrum-half.
“This is a soft tissue injury, so it will get worse if you are not careful.
“If he recovers well, he may be able to return to his third year.”
Williams’ chances of being available when Warrington take on London Broncos in Game 5 will be helped by more game time between games.
And after a tough start to the season with some heavy fields, Burgess says the players have bought themselves recovery time.
“There is now a 10-day grace period and the players need a break,” he said.
“I’ve had a good four weeks off so I’ll take a few days off to recover and prepare for London.
“They’re getting a break and there’s good vibes at the break, but it’s a good time to rest.”