After a tumultuous summer of change, Macclesfield Rugby Club began life in Regional 1 North West with a bonus-point victory over newly promoted Dronfield, running out 46-28 winners at Priory Park.
The fixture was an intriguing opening-day contest between two clubs entering unfamiliar territory. Dronfield arrived buoyed by promotion and an upward trajectory, while Macclesfield found themselves in the division after their controversial relegation following the club’s refusal to participate in National Two West, despite finishing third in National Two North last season.
The summer had been anything but straightforward for the Blues. Director of Rugby Matt Coleridge and Head Coach Rhys Davies were tasked with rebuilding a squad stripped of 27 departing players, making this opening fixture a first real opportunity to assess a vastly reshaped group.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the contest often resembled two sides still finding their feet. Errors were plentiful, cohesion intermittent, but there were enough flashes of quality to suggest both clubs will have plenty to offer this season.
Macclesfield squandered an early red-zone opportunity and were punished almost immediately. Dronfield built patiently through a series of powerful carries before prop Nathan Hind crashed over from close range in the fourth minute, with Steade’s conversion giving the visitors a 7-0 lead.
The home side responded well. Five minutes later a flowing move sparked by a break from Connolly created space for Macclesfield to attack through multiple phases, with Jennings finishing the move to level matters.
The game then settled into a scrappy rhythm with both teams struggling for consistency. Dronfield regained control in the 22nd minute when centre Joe Farrell capitalised on a loose ball and burst through midfield. Winger Saunders was stopped just short, but Hoare was on hand to finish from close range, and the successful conversion extended the visitors’ advantage to 14-5.
Macclesfield looked slightly ragged at that point, but the momentum swung three minutes later thanks to an excellent contestable box kick from the impressive Will Hardwick. Dronfield failed to deal with the kick, allowing Connolly to gather and race in untouched. Harper converted to narrow the deficit to 14-12.
That score appeared to settle the hosts, who suddenly found their rhythm.
On 28 minutes, Hardwick’s sharp sniping break and quick forward ball generated space through the middle before Tom Farrell produced a superb offload for Matt Morgan to score. It was a particularly satisfying contribution from Farrell, who endured plenty of verbal attention from supporters and players alike after spending last season on loan at Dronfield.
Three minutes later Macclesfield struck again. Rapid ruck speed created front-foot ball for the backs, and new signing Henry Harper sliced through the defensive line before producing a perfectly timed offload for Talbot to finish beneath the posts from 22 metres.
Dronfield threatened to hit back before the interval after a series of Macclesfield penalties marched them into the red zone, but a promising lineout maul opportunity went begging.
At half-time, Macclesfield led 26-14. The scoreline suggested comfort, but neither side had managed to sustain dominance for long periods.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams struggling to establish fluency. Harper nudged Macclesfield further ahead with a penalty on 45 minutes to make it 29-14 and create breathing space.
Dronfield continued to battle and enjoyed a strong spell of pressure. A lineout maul was held up on 50 minutes, but six minutes later they returned to the corner and this time hooker Burch successfully drove over at the back of the maul to reduce the gap to 29-21.
Macclesfield responded by introducing fresh legs, including new signings Harry Reay and Jack Jamieson, while academy graduate Zac Ransom earned a late call-up after Jayden Suffell withdrew during the warm-up with a dead leg.
The changes injected fresh energy into the home side. Macclesfield built sustained pressure inside the visitors’ 22, only to lose possession in contact inches short of the line in a moment that summed up a frustratingly error-strewn afternoon.
The fourth try eventually arrived on 63 minutes.
Following an exchange of mistakes from both teams, Jennings and Leake combined brilliantly from a scrum move to create space for Connolly, who crossed in the corner for his second try of the afternoon.
Despite the scoreline, neither team truly took command, with much of the match being fought between the two 22-metre lines.
The decisive moment came on 72 minutes. Morgan burst powerfully from the base of a scrum and broke into open field before offloading to Talbot, who surged into the red zone before being dragged down. From the next phase, Farrell moved the ball wide to Blackwell, who crossed to extend Macclesfield’s advantage.
Moments later Dronfield’s hopes of securing a losing bonus point disappeared. Attempting to play ambitiously from deep following a lineout, the visitors saw a pass intercepted, allowing Blackwell to race away for his second try on his first appearance as club captain.
At 46-21, the contest was effectively over.
To their credit, Dronfield continued to fight until the final whistle and were rewarded with a deserved bonus-point try in the closing moments. Lucian Hagin broke through a tiring Macclesfield defensive line from halfway and finished impressively to bring the final score to 46-28.
While far from a polished performance, Macclesfield will be delighted to begin the season with five points following such a turbulent summer. Dronfield, meanwhile, demonstrated enough resilience and attacking threat to suggest they will be highly competitive in their new surroundings.
Phil Laing received the official Man of the Match award, although there may have been a few cases of mistaken identity from the stands, with Matt Morgan producing an outstanding display carrying the ball and working tirelessly throughout. Connolly was clinical whenever opportunities arose on the wing, while dual-sided prop Isaac Thompson impressed with a series of powerful carries.
The Blues showed glimpses of what they may become. Their backline looked electric when quick ball was available, while the forward pack demonstrated the power required to generate momentum. However, a mixed afternoon at the lineout disrupted attacking platforms and occasionally led to frustration, with opportunities sometimes forced rather than built patiently.
Given the number of new faces within the squad, greater cohesion will undoubtedly come with time.
Director of Rugby Matt Coleridge reflected on an emotional opening-day victory:
“Time will tell what kind of a result this was as the league settles down, but primarily today we were just delighted with the five points after such a tough summer of transition.
“I thought the lads fought hard out there for each other and gelled well despite so many new faces. We were clunky at the lineout and forced it a bit in attack at times, but generally it was positive.
“It was a bit of an emotional one for Rhys and Steve [Burnage] and myself after all that has gone on. Those two certainly pulled me back from the edge a bit when I was done with rugby after everything that happened.
“We’re off and running now and just looking forward to every game. There were some excellent debutants out there, some old heads and some lads who have fought hard to get into the side, so it was really great to see that blend.”
Macclesfield 46
Tries: Connolly (2), Blackwell (2), Morgan, Talbot, Jennings
Conversions: Harper (3), Jennings
Penalty: Harper
Dronfield 28
Tries: Hind, Hoare, Burch, Hagin
Conversions: Steade (4)
Macclesfield 2XV 20–45 Sale FC Vikings
Tries from Will Richardson and Carl Droy were not enough as Macclesfield 2XV opened their league campaign with a 45–20 defeat to a well-drilled Sale FC side.
It was the visitors who struck first, crossing for a converted try after a well-worked series of phases.
Macclesfield soon hit back. Playing with the first-half wind, Macclesfield began to build pressure and were rewarded when Sale were penalised for not rolling away. Reaney opted for a quick tap penalty, threading a pass to the charging Richardson, who powered through to score and bring Macclesfield back into the game.
A physical battle followed, with Thraves and Smith leading the charge up front and Price providing plenty of attacking threat out wide. Macclesfield continued to make good ground and were rewarded with two penalties, both converted by Reaney, who was excellent with the boot all day.
Sale responded with a try before half-time, but Macclesfield held their nerve to go into the break 13–12 ahead.
The second half was an open and physical affair, with Sale’s forward pack beginning to make its presence felt. Two tries in quick succession put the visitors back in front.
Macclesfield refused to let the game drift away, however, with the evergreen Barker setting the standard and providing plenty of experience alongside the younger Colts players coming through.
A penalty kicked to the corner gave Macclesfield an attacking platform, and a well-worked lineout and driving maul saw Droy emerge with the ball over the line to bring Macclesfield back into contention.
The final 10 minutes belonged to Sale, however, as three unanswered tries put the result beyond doubt. A cross-field kick and finish was the pick of the late scores.
The final 45–20 scoreline was a harsh reflection of a contest in which Macclesfield competed hard for long periods. There was plenty to build on from an opening league fixture played with no shortage of physicality and intent.
