The Blues pack provides the platform as they ran out convincing winners in the first away game of the league season.

Their superior power was key as they beat Sheffield Tigers emphatically at Door More on Saturday.

Mike Barlow opened the scoring very early in the first half with a penalty to send Macc into the lead.

Against the run of play, Sheffield then went ahead with a try from Rupert Broadley, but that would be the last time the hosts troubled the scorers.

The Blues hit back straight away when Ryan Parkinson was at the tail of a driving maul that resulted in an easy try for the flanker.

In the opening 10 minutes the visitors were physically dominant, personified by a crunching tackle from captain Tom Eaton on the Sheffield hooker Michael Bradford.

Midway through the first half Elliot Brierley faded off a pass brilliantly to get outside his man to cross the whitewash for the second fiver-pointer of the day.

Some great work by the pack meant that the hosts were short out wide while blue shirts queued up outside Brierley.

By this point the Macc forwards were on top, giving the backline a great platform.

But even though they were on top, the Blues were guilty of passing up two great chances in the latter stages of the second half that on another day they may have lived to regret.

However, just before half time Sheffield flanker David Bradford picked up a yellow card for a high tackle to ease any pressure.

Sheffield hit back with some extended pressure of their own towards the end of the first half, but the Macc defence stood firm with some crunching tackles and they went in 10 points in front at the break.

The second half began with a powerful rumbling maul from the Blues, travelling all of 40 metres before eventually being pulled down on the hosts’ line.?A penalty try was awarded and Macclesfield were cruising.

Midway through the half the visitors got that bonus point with a try from Ashley Platt-Hughes.

Shortly after Parkinson broke free and went under the sticks for his second of the day after a good break from Platt-Hughes and the result was no longer in doubt.

Barlow added a try 10 minutes from time against a Sheffield team that were out on their feet after unrelenting pressure from the Blues pack, the encounter finishing 39-5.

This result leaves Macc in a fantastic position after two wins in two games they are second in the league.

They sit behind Stourbridge on points difference, who thumped Dudley Kingswinford 71-17.