There was an early pitch inspection at Winters Park on Saturday and the green light given to Leigh to start their trek up the M6. Had the inspection taken place at 2pm rather than 9.30am the outcome may have been different as it rained and sleeted incessantly in between and conditions were poor.
It was very wet underfoot with a slight covering of sleet and in view of the near freezing temperature handling conditions were testing to say the least. The game was not of the highest quality but it was testament to the players on both sides that it was more than watchable and a decent contest.
A look at the league table would suggest this should have been a regulation victory for the home side as the visitors had only registered one victory these season to press and were in the relegation zone but it did not quite work out like that.
Penrith set off at a decent pace and did impose themselves on the visitors, Matt Allinson missed a moderately difficult shot at goal but in the ninth minute was presented with an easier chance which he stroked over for a three point lead. As the first half went on Penrith looked to extend their lead but found themselves increasingly defending in their own half and then more often in their own 22 as Leigh got the upper hand.
Leigh were playing a simple game of kick and rush and they kicked well, they kicked deep into the corners and put the Penrith back three under pressure, fullback Ryan Egerton had a busy afternoon and didn't a mistake as he continually found himself penned in by two or three chasers and got the ball gathered safely and away safely. Penrith did not kick as well which is why they found themselves conceding territory as the visitor's defenders were not put under as much pressure when they had to defend.
Leigh did have a couple of penalty shots in the first half, one from almost half way which looked to be wildly optimistic and proved to be so as the ball landed well short and a second one which looked eminently kickable which went well wide. Penrith just about got to half time with their three point advantage intact and would face a slight breeze in the second half.
Leigh did not pose Penrith too many problems with ball in hand but it was clear their right winger was a bit of a livewire and so it was to prove as he gave his side the lead just after half time when a well placed kick was put into the corner just short of the home line. He was the first to react and followed up at pace and dived on the ball and slid in at the corner, the conversion was wide but the visitors had their noses in front.
At this stage it would have been quite possible for the home side's head to go down as the conditions were a great leveller and the game was little more than a dog fight. The home forwards however then raised their game and from there on in bossed the game. With influential Kiwi captain Tama Toomata on the sidelines with flu stand in captain Ryan Johnson led his side by example with one of his best games of the season running the ball in hard time after time. Mike Stephens, Scott Lancaster and JJ Key followed his lead and also ran the ball up with commitment and slowly they drove the gritty visiting pack back.
The pressure they put Leigh under was reflected in the penalty count, Allinson was able to restore the lead with a penalty and he then drove a penalty into the corner for an attacking lineout, Key who had a good day at the front of the lineout won the ball and the home pack drove for the line. They did not make immediate progress but did then manage to inch the visitors back, the inside backs then joined the driving maul and it tumbled over the line with Stephens at the bottom to deservedly come up with the try.
Allinson's conversion was wide but four minutes later he hit a third penalty and at 14-5 the game looked safe. It was put to bed in the last ten minutes as Penrith tried to open up the game, clean breaks were few and far between but on his debut, Arran Pamphilon showed a bit of class with a nice run. The try however came from second row forward Lancaster in the outside centre position, he slid a nice kick down the touchline, Jon Fell followed it up, hacked the ball back inside and Lancaster was there to dive on the ball and slide over the line.
There was just time for the Leigh winger to show a clean pair of heels for the second time and win the chase following a kick into the corner but Penrith ran out comfortable winners in the end and can take some pleasure out of their performance in the final 30 minutes. From a position where they might have slipped up badly they dug in and came up with the goods.
Some credit must also go to the visitors, who defied their lowly league placing and after battling over the M6 at Shap in the snow gave the home side a real fright