How do cards affect a result? To put it simply no cards and 3 straight wins for Northwich over some top opposition.
A little rugby chatter, you all know and have seen red & yellow but what about blue, white and orange? Historically, yellow cards were dished out for misdemeanours and red cards reserved for incidents that fell outside the laws. However, rugby is now delivering red cards where the outcome is entwined with an opponent’s body angle or positioning. Rugby is a game of small margins and a red card makes victory almost impossible for the affected team. The other cards are not yet universal but no doubt there coming especially in the professional game blue to indicate a suspected concussion, white can be used by a coach or captain to review a referee decision. Now is an orange card required to maintain rugby’s appeal? The inevitable mismatch if a red card occurs in the opening minutes. An orange card is the solution. Orange cards should place a player in the sin-bin for 20 minutes. Enough time to damage the offending team’s chances of winning – but not enough to render the result a formality.

Did you know? 16th February 1980 Paul Ringer became the pariah of the valleys after his sending-off, the first at Twickenham for 55 years, cost Wales the championship. Ringer's dismissal in only the 13th minute - for an attempted charge-down that flattened England's fly-half, that was the moment that changed the game. In isolation the decision might have appeared harsh but the referee's patience had already been exhausted. "It was like World War Three but in them days referees didn't tend to send players off, no matter what they did," said Wales prop Graham Price. "It was all going on and then eventually all the players had a warning." Ringer's career never recovered from the indignity, and he played only one more Test.

Northwich welcome Manchester to Moss Farm. The beauty of North 1 West is that, on the day, every team can beat every other. Manchester were beaten by relegation contenders Anselmians but on Saturday they trounced Warrington by 32-0. The result moves Manchester above Warrington who now drop to 10th, - just above the relegation zone. This game demonstrating the progress made by Manchester 1st XV. The home scrum had increasingly become dominant pushing the visiting pack consistently backwards and that factor appeared increasingly unsettling to the visitors. Ultimately though it was the Warrington scrum-half who ended all hope for Warrington, in an increasingly petulant personal performance culminating in a clear elbow strike to the head of the Manchester captain. The referee had little option but to issue a red card. Manchester were fully deserving of their bonus point win and the even more special “0” in the points scored against column.

One to watch out for on Saturday is Samoan 7s international centre Jay Saena, who made his Manchester debut in the teams last meeting a 65 point thriller back in October Northwich winning 32-33.

Northwich 2s go to top of the table, visiting league leaders Holmes Chapel. Chapel only losing one game so far, and beating C&N last week 25-33. Northwich granted a home walkover last week New Brighton unable to raise a team.
What’s gone wrong at New Brighton? Their 1st team fighting relegation in Lancs/Cheshire Div 2, 2nd team battling relegation and only another concede away from dropping out of the league and 3rd team folded mid-season on top of looking to sell their ground to developers and hoping to find a new site with aide of the local council.

Northwich 3 return to action following a couple of weeks rest they journey to Macc 4s.

Northwich Colts following another good win over Bury 64-0 host Broughton Park Sunday 2pm.