Penrith completed the last act in their build up to the new league
season with a reasonably comfortable win against Workington at Winters
Park in the quarter final of the county cup. The performance was much
improved on their showing a fortnight earlier against an equally
physical St Benedicts side, this was partly down to making a lot less
unforced errors but was perhaps more to do with the arrival of Kiwi
stand off Pale Tuilagi who brought greater shape and organisation to
their game.
No doubt a large part of the plus 200 crowd came to cast their eye over
Pale and would not go home disappointed. Although he started slowly,
possibly because of the scrutiny he was under he warmed to his task as
the game went on and showed exactly what he is made of. Penrith were never under any real pressure throughout the game and had no need for a
kicking game but perhaps the most pleasing aspect was in the final few
minutes when he took a ball just outside his own 22 and the raking
crossfield kick he put in rolled into touch well into the opposition
22, a sign of things to come. He will, however have to master the art
of goal kicking in the vagaries of the Winters Park wind.
The visitors' best moments of the game came right at the start when
Penrith's blushes were saved by a foot in touch as Workington heaped
pressure on the home line. Normal service was soon resumed and the home
scrum put their opposite numbers to the sword in the set driving them
off the ball at almost every scrum, although not a usual Penrith tactic
it ensured they had the lions share of the ball all afternoon.
Tuilagi had the first chance to open the scoring with a tricky penalty
into the wind which went wide, it took over quarter of an hour to
register the first score. They were running through the phases on their
own 22 and worked an overlap and Ben Littleton was away down the left
wing, as the full back came across he kicked the ball long and from
half way easily won the race to the ball and had time to gather it and
roll over in the corner.
The second score wasn't long in coming, the spade work was done by the
front row, Craig Price and James Thornton combined to put Glenn Carr
away whose rampaging run took play up to the 22, quick ball enabled it
to be shifted rapidly to Sandy Kerridge on the right flank who
outstripped the cover to score the first of his four tries in the
corner. He created mayhem down the right for all of the 80 minutes and
the visitors had absolutely no answer to his powerful running.
The third try came as the home side threw a pass to no one on half way,
Gary Hodgson tidied up the ball, evaded a couple of tackles and glided
through the rest of the defence to draw the last man and put Kerridge
in for his second.
The next score came as the home pack took ball against the head, new
captain and No8 Ryan Johnson picked the ball and ran strongly into the
visitor's 22, it was recycled at pace and moved to the left, Kris
Bratton at outside centre spotted the gap and sped between two
desperate defenders to touch down. The home side were piling on the
pressure and won a penalty in the West Cumbrians 22, it was tapped and
moved quickly and Littleton was held up in the corner, the cavalry in
the shape of the home pack arrived and after a couple of surges Price
was driven over for the score.
The final try of the first half came straight off the training ground
as Phil Gardham took a pop pass running a perfect angle and broke the
line with ease, he galloped away, drew the last man and put Hodgson in
for the simplest of tries. That was Penrith 34 points to the good at
the break and a difficult second period ahead for the visitors.
The home side started the second half in a similar vein, they won ball
against the head on half way, Johnson broke from No8, Kerridge was
away, he exchanged passes with Phil Fell and strode in for his hat
trick try. Shortly after Workington did manage to win a scrum on their
own 22 but under enormous pressure, the No8 was caught with the ball,
turned over and when it came to Tuilagi he danced through a retreating
defence to jink in under the posts.
With the game in the bag the home side then began to use their seven
subs and lost their way a bit, the precision and heat went out of their
game as the personnel changed, the lads who came on did well enough but
the cutting edge was just missing. A dropped pass in the home line led
to a consolation try for the visitors, a dropped pass in the visitor's
backs gave Littleton a gift of a try which he ran in from his own half.
The final try was scored fittingly enough by Kerridge after skipper
Johnson had done the donkeywork.
A pleasing enough win but this is still a work in progress, Tuilagi has
done wonderfully well to bed in as well as he has in the short time he
has been here and this can only improve. New centre Phil Armstrong did
well and had a good steady game against his old teammates who bent his
nose for his troubles and the best part was his eagerness to get back
on the pitch before the flow of blood from his face had been stemmed.
Penrith's Man of the Match was 17 year old JJ Key at openside wing
forward, he grafted all afternoon like a veteran, never stood out and
looked for the glory and impressed anyone who likes proper rugby men.

Carr Thornton Price Gardham Hogg Hodgson Key Johnson Swale Tuilagi
Littleton Armstrong Bratton Kerridge P Fell subs Lund Tyson Walker Peet
J Fell Dillane Harrison