The opening exchanges were frantic with half chances at either end, Manchester wasting theirs when an unnecessary pass following a Luke Tyrrell break didn’t go to hand. Nonetheless the first score was Manchester’s, courtesy of a flowing movement with Anthony TiaTia, Luke James and Dean Hogg combing well. The windy conditions were to blame for the unconverted 5-0 scoreline.

Manchester continued to threaten with Brian Ndlovu in particular hitting the defence hard. An easy kick was rejected and wasted giving the impression that Manchester were just a little too anxious to chase the points they wanted. On the 20 minute mark however, a good penalty to touch and then a classic catch & drive rumbled the ball over the lead to double the score to 10-0.

New Brighton seemed to have the edge in the scrum and actually chose that option when awarded a penalty in the home 22. Manchester’s defence will have left them regretting that decision, especially when James broke from deep and with Joe Houghton in support caused panic as the visitors recovered. With field position established, the third try soon followed as Tyrrell in his typical determined manner shrugged off the defenders. Doug Day converted to a health looking 17-0 lead.

In truth, the bonus point should already have been in the bag but a few chance were inexplicably squandered as Manchester seemed intent on crafting a team try when individuals were in good positions.

Manchester set up camp in the New Brighton 22 from the start of the second half, but all credit to the visitors who dug in. The pressure finally told when the pack set up a platform for the backs, TiaTia making the initial break before George Chatterton scored the bonus point try on his First XV debut. With almost half an hour left, the afternoon’s job seemed done at 24-0.

Unfortunately the game became scrappy rather than open as a result. A bright spot was another debutant try from Ed Neil who charged through a grasping defensive line to make it 31-0 once Day had added the extras with a quarter to play.

As so often happens with the game lost, the opposition then had their best spell, such that a latecomer would have assumed that they were the team leading! The pressure was relatively easy to deal with as New Brighton relied on their forwards to make slow ground with a lot of possession. When the ball was finally released, the backs made the most of it to get a consolation try with only ten minutes left. The defiance had come too late so that the 31-7 score was still current at the end, neither side making the most of their possession (New Brighton) or their chances (Manchester).

It says something about the team’s success this season that a bonus point win wasn’t wildly celebrated! The significance of it only became clear when the result from the Isle of Man came through, making it advantage Manchester in the chase for the title.