Penrith recently have had a number of games against the top sides in the league and competed well but they now face a series of games against sides below them and have to knuckle down and turn its promising form into victories. The first of these matches was against fourth from bottom Stoke who were just one point behind their hosts this Saturday.
The Cumbrians wanted a strong start and it couldn't have gone much better, for the first half hour they were outstanding and scored four tries to build a 26 point lead. The home pack bulldozed the away eight off their own ball in the first set scrum of the afternoon to earn a penalty and it was kicked into the visitor's 22, Ant Davies secured the ball for the hosts and they set up the driven maul which ended up just short of the line. First Lee Chapman drove for the line and when the ball came to Adam Howe he burst through two tacklers to open the scoring after five minutes.
Penrith were not long in adding to their score, from a scrum on the 22 Archie Rattray broke from the No8 position and almost made the line, George Graham was on hand to slip the ball to Andy Rogers who brushed aside the defenders on the line to score under the posts. The visitors were having great difficulty containing the strong running home forwards; for the next score Joe Kirkup and James Thompson combined to take play deep into the Stoke 22 and a ruck was formed just short of the line. Rattray simply picked the ball and using his strength went straight through the ruck to muscle his way over.
Matty Boustead, just back from injury set up the fourth try, Isaac Murray ran the ball up in the centre and Boustead burst through the fringes of the ensuing breakdown, he surged into the 22 and unselfishly set up Graham to run in under the posts.
In seven of their eight games this season Stoke had picked up a four try bonus point and it wasn't hard to see why, they were sharp behind the scrum with some real pace and zip. They hadn't had a look in, in the early part of the game but as the half drew to a close the home side gave away three consecutive penalties which gave the visitors some decent possession and and they pulled a score back from a 5m scrum.
Penrith led 26-7 at the break and in view of the ability of the opposition to score tries they needed to score next to put the games to bed, this they managed to do almost from the first phase of play of the second half. They took the restart on their own 22 and ran it back strongly, Kirkup and Sam Wilson took play to half way. Stoke were penalised and Graham had the penalty taken and was off, Boustead in support took play deep into the 22 and eventually Howe powered over the line only to be pulled back as the referee had impeded the defence and Penrith had a 5m scrum. From a steady platform Wilson broke blind from the scrum and easily made the line.
Penrith then went down to 14 men after a yellow card for a high tackle, they then were penalised a number of times putting themselves under pressure and conceded a second try. The visitors were again on the attack with a scrum in the home 22, they ran their move from it but the ball to the winger ran loose, Boustead got a boot to it and then Graham fly hacked it over half way and Wilson under no pressure played it forward and dropped on it over the line.
That might have been the sickener that killed off the game but Stoke were still game and scored a third try after the home side had invited them on the attack conceding a number of penalties.
Penrith were in no real danger leading 40-21 but two further scores put them out of sight. A Graham clean break round the fringes and a run by Scott Lancaster in support put them on the visitor's line, Howe got another chance from close range and this time the ref didn't get in the way and he claimed his second try. Liam McAvoy scored the final try bursting through two defenders on the attacking 22 and running in unopposed. Rob Coward kicked his seventh conversion out of eight and Penrith had a handsome winning margin, Stoke were a tad unlucky to go home with nothing to their name.
Penrith now have a week off and will be looking forward to their trip to Mint Bridge to face local rivals Kendal, with no injuries they will be looking to replicate this form on the other side of Shap Fell.