An early penalty (0-3) was not what Manchester needed against an ambitious Northwich side, the only team to have comprehensively outplayed Manchester in a match earlier this season. The visitors soon had their first try when they went blind from a catch-and-drive lineout, with no one at home to defend (0-8).

Manchester were again unable to sustain any pressure from the restart and Northwich worked their way back into the home 22. A knock on allowed an attacking scrum which the Northwich pack took full advantage of, opening up the route for an easy run to the line to make it 0-13 after quarter of an hour.

Manchester’s lineout proceeded to misfire once in attack and then in defence so that a chance to clear was lost. Northwich had spotted an opportunity to attack the blindside and when they did so from a scrum ten metres out, they put daylight between the sides at 0-18 with just half an hour played.

Neither side was playing particularly well with both guilty of careless knock ons but it seemed far more likely that any flowing move would come from the visitors. So it proved as a Northwich attack found some space, only to be held up by determined defence on the line. The resulting scrum was less well defended so that a bonus point and a 0-25 lead was secured at the break.

With the match seemingly lost, a spirited start from Manchester, sustained for the third quarter, showed what might have been. Phase after phase of controlled drives proved unstoppable until Manchester earned their first score to make it 5-25.

Playing with their heads up now, Manchester took the game to Northwich and seemed very unlucky when the referee adjudged that a drive to and over the visitors’ line had been held up. With the attacking pack having the edge, a try seemed inevitable as the ball was well secured. Unfortunately, a workmanlike score was rejected and the ball came flying out of the scrum to the unsuspecting backs. A dropped pass under pressure, saw the pressure come to nothing but there was no doubt that Manchester had dominated the quarter.

Unfortunately, this signalled the end of Manchester’s mini comeback as Northwich then regained control with a couple of easy scores to open a 5-30 and then a 5-37 gap with fifteen minutes left to play.

Some temporary respectability to the scoreline was achieved when Luke Tyrrell refused to be stopped by a number of would be tacklers, doubling Manchester’s tally to 10-37.

That really was all the resistance for the afternoon however as Northwich were allowed to notch up their 50 points with a couple of converted tries, the final one in stoppage time to close the scoring out at 10-51.