MARTIN Poste has said his Northwich side passed a test when they came from behind to beat Douglas last weekend.

Blacks lost focus after establishing a 10-0 lead and found themselves adrift by the break at Moss Farm after their guests from the Isle of Man scored three converted tries.

They rallied in the second-half though to extend an unbeaten run in all competitions to seven matches following a 41-31 win.

READ > Northwich 41-31 Douglas: match report

“We had to go back to basics,” said the director of rugby.

“I had to remind them that the teams at this level are too good to enter into a ‘you score, and we’ll score’ kind of game.

“Douglas had come fully loaded with the same pack that had played at their place and they contributed to a contest I’m sure was a treat to anybody that loves good rugby.

“They’re a well-coached side that came to play the game and not many teams will do the double over them.”

Northwich swapped places with their opponents in the North One West table as a reward for their victory and occupy third place with three matches left.

The first of those is at Broughton Park on Saturday, kick-of 3pm.

READ > Northwich: remaining matches this season

With a head-to-head against Birkenhead Park in the Cheshire RFU Vase final on the horizon, the director of rugby has urged his players to stay focused.

He added: “It’s normal that there might be one eye turning to that game in a couple of weeks.

“But our performances in the games before that are important.

“Broughton Park have the best defensive record in the league and are a pretty formidable opponent on their own patch.

“We passed an exam by Douglas, and we can expect another next weekend.”

Blacks were boosted by the return of flanker Matt Ensor, who made his first appearance since a win at leaders Carlisle in February, and Conor Lapniewski.

However Chris Heywood is likely to sit out Saturday’s game with an injury.