Penrith played well and won comprehensively 41-0 at home to Manchester in North One West but the victory was soured by a bad injury for club stalwart Ed Swale.
He was bearing down on the Manchester line when he tried to step inside, lost his footing and when the ruck that formed over him cleared he was left prostrate clearly in agony.
The game was paused as he was attended to by the physios and he was stretchered off the field awaiting the ambulance with what turned out to be a dislocated ankle and three breaks to his leg.
As for the game, Penrith did all the things they didn’t do on the road at Bowden the week before. Their defence was first class, their game management good and the penalty count acceptable but most importantly they were in the opposition’s faces for the full 80 minutes.
After seven rounds of games in North One West, this is the first game in which a side has been “nilled”.
Manchester were a better side than that and a lot of credit must go to the home defence, even after the game was won there were no consolation tries. Manchester did threaten on a number of occasions but could never quite finish the job and they didn’t have the pace to take advantage of any half breaks they created.
The game started sluggishly with both sides making handling errors. Penrith were trying to score from deep every time they got possession rather than going through the phases and as a result, spent a lot of time in their own half.
They did have a long-distance shot at goal from a penalty but eventually got some field position and scored a good try midway through the first half.
They moved the ball quickly to the left and with Jamie McNaughton in the line from fullback, got winger Brad Taylor round the outside of his opposite number. He was then able to draw the last man and feed the ball inside to Mason Lewthwaite up in support and he had a simple run-in.
Shortly after the visitors were trying their luck wide on their left and the ball went loose. It was quickly flicked up for Jay Rossi who was away and the cover could not get to his mazy run for the line.
Disaster then struck as the Cumbrians looked for their third score, hard running by Lewthwaite and Adam Howe followed by a good run from Arran Pamphilon left Swale going for the line, which unfortunately produced his serious injury.
The game restarted with a five-metre scrum on the visitors’ line where they were penalised. The referee blew when it was clear the home side were not going to get any advantage and Mike Fearon was awake to the situation. He had the penalty taken and was over the line before most of the defenders realised what was happening.
Penrith led by 19 points at the break and after a slow start to the second half made sure of the win with a fourth try.
They ran back a clearance kick and Taylor, who had now moved into scrum-half to replace Swale, looked to be drifting across field aimlessly when Lewthwaite took a pass off him running a great angle and completely split the defence.
He bore down on the line and was caught by a tap tackle that sent him spinning but he had plenty of time to regain his feet and claim the try.
Matt Allinson then slotted a penalty, taking over the kicking duties from Fearon who was feeling the effects of illness during the week.
Clever hands by Andy Muir and Rossi set the ball rolling for the fifth try. Ryan Johnson got the ball off Rossi and drew the last man to set Dan Richardson away. He was caught just short of the line and got the ball to McNaughton who was also held up, Fearon then managed to squeeze over in the corner grounding the ball over his head.
It was just left for Rossi to add the icing to the cake with an interception in his own half and a scampering, weaving run to the line to do the rest.
The trick now is to repeat the performance when they get off the bus at Glossop this weekend.
