Penrith made their second long trek down the M6 in eight days, this time to their most distant fixture over 150 miles and three hours away at Newport Salop in Shropshire.
The previous week at Manchester they had been poor, especially early on, but this time out they played much better and could well have won, only finally succumbing in the final play of the game and they did come home with a creditable losing bonus point from a 29-23 defeat.
At Manchester they conceded 17 points in the first five minutes but they had learned their lesson and were out of the blocks quickly here and scored from the first play of the game.
Scott Lancaster secured the kick-off in the air and the forwards, through Adam Howe, Joe Kirkup and Ant Davies took play to half way. Archie Rattray drove in once more in midfield before the ball came to George Graham starting at stand off.
He made a half break on the inside of his man, before passing the ball around the defender’s back to Isaac Murray at inside centre who hit the ball at pace just inside the home half and showed real pace as there was hardly a hand laid on him before he went in under the posts for a converted try.
The visitors extended their lead after breaking up the hosts possession on their 22 and were awarded a penalty, which Murray knocked over for a ten point lead.
The home side retained possession well and spent long periods with the ball testing the Cumbrians’ defence and they stood up well, tackling manfully to contain their bigger opposite numbers.
On the half hour Penrith extended their lead against the run of play after Rattray broke from number eight at a scrum on their own 22. The ball went quickly wide to Jamie McNaughton via Ashton Hook and Graham and he pushed a punt deep into the 22 where the cover was scrambling back
The chase was good and the defender who fielded the ball thought he was going to run around Graham but he was firmly put to the ground. The ball ran free and Murray only had to gather the ball two yards short of the line and dot it down for his second try.
The visitors led by 17 but the home side then got the upper hand. They won back possession from the restart, went through the phases retaining the ball well and finally opened up the visitors’ defence with a cross field chip to the winger who took it on the full and scored in the corner.
The home tails were up and as half time approached they pressed for a second score and it came from an attacking five metre scrum. Again they were patient and went through the phases and a couple of deep hard runners close to the line eventually broke through for the try.
Penrith still led 17-12 at the break but in the second half they would be playing up the slight slope and into the breeze.
There was little between the sides but the home side finally got their noses in front ten minutes into the second half when the Cumbrians lost possession when attacking in the home 22. There was a kick and chase towards the Penrith line with the cover out of position and the home winger was adjudged to have been impeded so a penalty try was given and the home side led by two.
Again, as the game unfolded, neither side dominated but the Cumbrians’ set scrum got them back in front. They won a scrum penalty against the head in the home 22 and opted for a scrum but knocked on in the play from it. They then won a second penalty on the home put in. This one was head on to the posts and Rob Coward knocked it over for the slenderest of leads.
The home side were back in front just minutes later. This time it was the visitors who were penalised at the scrum and the kick went over to restore the two point lead.
Time was running out and Penrith were deep in their half but Kirkup, now playing in the centre, combined with McNaughton to take play into the home half. The scrambling defence were penalised centrally some 25 metres out. Coward held his nerve and coolly knocked over the penalty to again lead by a solitary point.
It was 40 minutes since the half started but the referee indicated there were still four minutes of play left. The visitors failed to secure the re-start and the home side regained the ball and manufactured a drop goal chance but that went wide.
They gathered the 22 drop out and played the phases till they worked an overlap down the left wing. This was just about snuffed out but play was on the line and one of their big forwards crashed over and with only the conversion to come the Penrith men’s valiant effort had just fallen short.
It had though been a much improved performance, everyone had given their all and the team had come through without sustaining any further injuries. They had 11 points to show for their efforts in a very difficult run of games in September and can build on this having three of their longer away trip behind them.
