Penrith fielded a young inexperienced side on Saturday and knew before they set off they faced a very difficult afternoon at semi-professional Rossendale.
In the end it was exactly how it turned out with the home side being much stronger, much bigger and extremely pacey dominating almost all aspects of play.
It finished 106-14 to Rossendale which is likely to be Penrith’s heaviest defeat with certainly nothing like that in the last 50 years.
Although fighting an uphill battle all afternoon the out-muscled Cumbrians fought gamely and never gave up and scored two tries in the final quarter when many would have given up the ghost.
The visitors started well enough taking the kick off cleanly, clearing their lines, then winning a penalty and progressing up the touchline but it wasn’t long before the hosts began to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
The first try came when they ran back a clearance kick and chipped the ball to the corner and won the race for the touchdown.
The visitors then lost Jack Huddart with a nasty collar bone injury and by half time ended up with three players off the field injured and players out of position making life that bit easier for the rampant home side.
Penrith’s task was made a little easier when the home side saw their prop red carded for stamping but it didn’t really change the flow of the game.
The pressure the home side were able to exert won them a string of penalties and they had excellent field position and scored tries at regular intervals and as half time approached led by 54-0.
The visitors then had their first scoring opportunity, Ryan Banks won a penalty when the tackled player would not release the ball on the ground and it was kicked to the corner five metres from the line.
They won the line-out and had steady possession but were unable to force their bigger opponents over their own line.
The second half continued along similar lines with regular scores from Rossendale but Penrith did begin to get a bit of joy at the set scrums, putting the home pack on the back foot and winning a penalty or two.
They finally came up with a score from a five metre scrum. They won good ball which came to Mike Fearon and then Joe Kirkup at inside centre was able to bustle his way over by the posts from short range.
The visitors disappointingly conceded another try almost immediately but did come back and score a second.
A penalty was kicked to the corner and Craig Price found Dylan Thompson jumping at the front of the line. The forwards drove for the line and after several attempts it was Adam Howe who finally forced his way over.
That was 87-14 going into the final 10 minutes and by now the home side had realised, with Rob Coward off the field injured and the visitors back three all playing out of position, all they had to do to was get the ball wide early and the pace of their three quarters would do the rest.
Another three tries saw the score go into three figures.
It was a disappointing end to the game but it was always going to be a big ask.
The injuries did not help the cause but they now have to put it behind them and concentrate on what they can do something about and that is Leek at home this Saturday.
