Up and running as
COMPETITIVE club rugby finally returned to Priory Park on Saturday as Macclesfield faced Burnage, a side who were sure to give the home side the physical test they’ve been craving for the past 18 months.
The ground was full of fans, the weather was perfect for rugby, and the stage was set for a great afternoon of sport.
Macclesfield’s energy and enthusiasm showed in the opening 10 minutes, keeping play almost entirely inside Burnage’s 22.
This pressure was converted into points by captain Tom Morton, who slotted a difficult penalty home from just behind the 10-metre line.
The first try of the day came just three minutes later, as winger Myles Hall scored in the corner, capitalising on a Burnage defence that had been stretched thin by Macclesfield’s touchline-totouchline phase rugby.
Macclesfield made it 15-0 after a lovely move saw flanker James Oliver collect a Sam Broster kick before drawing the last man and putting young scrum half Alex Davies through to finish under the sticks.
With the score standing at 15-3 after a penalty converted by Burnage fly-half Rhys Evans, a fight broke out between the two sides.
Following a deliberate knee to the head, Macclesfield’s Jordan Simpson retaliated, escalating the situation.
The referee deemed both the original collision and Simpson’s reaction worthy of a red card, and the flanker was sent off along with Burnage’s winger Kier Merrick.
The match continued with both teams down to 14 men, and Davies bagged his second of the day from the resulting scrum at the restart, easily finishing from five metres out. Morton converted to put Macclesfield further ahead 22-3 going into half time.
The second half had the difficult task of living up to its predecessor, and while nothing as eventful as a double red card took place in the second 40 minutes, it did feature its fair share of tries.
First to come was Burnage’s Josh Miller, who got on the end of an inside ball to finish under the posts, then Myles Hall added to Macclesfield’s lead, exploiting a mismatch by ghosting past a Burnage backrower.
The big number, 8 Josh Redfern, then scored after picking up from the base of a 5-metre Macc scrum, before substitute Matt Thorp bagged himself a well-earned try. After a non-stop 20 minutes, the score was 41-10 to Macclesfield with 20 still to go.
Despite Man-of-thematch Redfern getting his second try, the final 20 minutes slightly let down the Macclesfield’s overall performance, with tired legs and sore heads leading to two further tries being conceded, and prop Aaron Wilman being sent to the sin bin for not retreating 10 metres.
However, considering the long hiatus from rugby and the anticipation of the season opener, Macclesfield looked sharp and focused for the majority of the 80 minutes, and the final score of 48-24 accurately reflects the team’s superiority over their opposition.
The win capped off a great afternoon at Priory Park, the Macc supporters’ appetite for a competitive spectacle well and truly satisfied.