Macclesfield’s director of rugby Geoff Wappett was in a philosophical mood after his side’s unbeaten home record came to an abrupt halt.

Blues suffered a frustrating 29-5 defeat to Tynedale with Ryan Parkinson scoring their only try in a match marred by three home players being sent to the sin-bin.

"It was a shock to the system but this is my fourth season here and in all that time we’ve never lost back-to-back," Wappett said.

"When we lose we look at the game carefully, address what we did wrong and put it right.

"It does try your patience. We’ve set ourselves targets and goals and then these things trip you up."

The Blues are at home again this Saturday to mid-table Rosslyn Park, a team they beat home and away last season, with Wappett confident of a win.

He said: "There are no major technical problems, it wasn’t as clear cut as that. Essentially it was a day when several players just didn’t play well."