Having moved steadily up the Regional 1 North West table in recent weeks Penrith will be able to test themselves against the side currently lying fifth.
Wirral visit Winters Park as one of three teams – Manchester and Kendal are the others – who can reasonably consider themselves out of title contention and also relegation danger.
That, in itself, might suggest creeping complacency between now and the end of the season but they are more likely to provide a competitive test to Penrith’s rejuvenated side.
That was certainly proven on Saturday when they beat one of the top three, Blackburn 28-22, to show their ability and commitment.
The Cumbrians picked-up their first away win of the season last Saturday at bottom side Sandbach, but had to work hard for their 24-21 success.
It gave them a third win in four games and they have taken 16 points from a possible 20 and it has in effect turned their season around. Instead of languishing in the bottom two relegation places, which they have done until just prior to Christmas, they have moved up to seventh place 11 points clear of the drop zone.
They now head the group of six sides adrift at the bottom of the table all scrambling to avoid relegation.
Kendal, one of the three clubs in no-man’s land, played some of their best rugby of the season at the week-end before going down 45-14 at leaders Rossendale.
They were particularly seen to good effect in the first-half when they restricted their hosts to a 17-14 lead at the break.
It doesn’t get much easier for Dan Bowman’s men as this week they travel to joint leaders Macclesfield, level on points but with an inferior points differential.
Kendal will have been boosted by their first-half effort last week and Bowman will be looking for a similar response when his men get to grips with another of the Division’s stand-out sides.
The Regional Two North leaders Percy Park are in Cumbria this weekend with a visit to Bower Park, Aspatria (referee Lee Fish).
The Black Reds are particularly proud of their long unbeaten home record and will be extra keen to see it through against quality opposition who are eight points clear at the top – and lead fourth-placed Aspatria by 24.
Two late tries from half-back Mark Watson gave Aspatria a 26-12 win at Keswick last week and it needed a very good performance from the Black Reds to see-off a vibrant Keswick side.
Keswick are still just four points better off than neighbours Upper Eden in the grim battle to avoid the second relegation place, and they will be looking to pick-up maximum points to help their survival cause when they host Consett (referee Simon Barker).
Upper Eden entertain Morpeth and they will certainly have been heartened by last week’s narrow home win over Middlesbrough.
Martin Maughan will be in charge of this game in which Upper Eden will seek to retain the discipline they showed against Boro, and which had been letting them down in earlier matches.
Sadly Cockermouth look destined for a return to the Counties 1 Cumbria Division but they will certainly want to break their duck before the end of the season.
There have been some promising performances despite the run of defeats and they are back at Strawberry How this week against West Hartlepool with Anthony Lowery the man in the middle.
In Counties 1 Cumbria the top game is likely to be at the Playground where Whitehaven entertain Wigton (Alistair Jones).
The other fixtures are: Creighton v Aspatria 2nds (Alan Jenkinson); Penrith 2nds v St Benedict’s (Graham Kidd); Keswick 2nds v Workington (Stephen Elliott); Windermere v Egremont (Craig Hine).
