Penrith would be disappointed with the outcome of their game at Bradford and Bingley but they could not argue with result. This was the first game of the season where they failed to score a try and also the first time they had failed to pick up a league point of some description, even a losing bonus point. The thing that would frustrate them was their performance would not have had to been much better to have claimed the victory.
If a couple of passes that went astray had gone to hand or the odd dropped pass been taken the game could have been very different, if those those try scoring opportunities had been taken the game could easily have taken a different course.
Penrith got off to a decent start and were ahead in the first minute, Ed Swale fielded and ran back a kick ahead, Phil Armstrong than ploughed the ball further on before the home side were penalised and boot of Mike Fearon gave his side a three point lead.
He missed a rather more difficult chance after Bradford infringed after some good approach play but then it was the home side's turn to get on the scoreboard. Two good offloads out of contact saw them forge deep into the Penrith 22 and only foul play managed to kill the ball and halt the attack. The home side kicked the ball to the corner, won the lineout and drove the maul to the line, the Cumbrian defence held the maul up but a series of pick and goes breached the away defence and put the home side in front.
Penrith came back and it was Swale running the ball back from full back that set up the chance, he again was able to chip ahead and gather his own kick, he made good ground and this was continued by a hard running drive from young prop Adam Howe that put the home defence on the back foot and forced the penalty. This was an easier chance and Fearon put his side's noses back in front at 6-5.
Bradford again came back strongly and retook the lead from a scrum deep in the Penrith 22, the Yorkshire side appeared to be going for the big push in the set but whipped the ball quickly blind and scored in the corner, this try was also unconverted but they had a four point lead.
Fearon cut this lead to just one point with a penalty shot just a yard or two into the Bradford half and Penrith were then close to taking the lead with their best chance of the first half. Swale again ran the ball from deep and made a break to get himself into the opposition half, he then had his heels clipped and looked to be going down but before he did kicked the ball ahead to the home line. Ben Littleton was in hot pursuit and got to the ball but couldn't quite make the line. Armstrong was in support and did get over the line but had a foot in touch in the process. That was the last meaningful play of the half and it couldn't have been closer as they turned round at half time.
Their was an exchange of penalties at the start of the second half, the home side added three points to their lead after Penrith handled in the scrum, then an incursion into the home 22 by Liam Tunstall and Mike Stephens off the back of an attacking scrum drew the penalty and allowed Fearon to pull the lead back to the odd point.
There was then three minutes that changed the game, Penrith had been under pressure in their own 22. A clearance kick was charged down but Swale had done well to get to the ball and hold it up long enough for the support to arrive and the clearance made. Bradford, however still had good field position and a lineout in the Penrith 22. They won the lineout and the forwards drove for the line, the drive was held up but the ball came to the home centre, fresh off the bench, and he bounced off two tacklers and went in under the posts.
From the restart the home side fielded the ball and a maul formed and the same centre somehow emerged out of the Penrith side of the maul, made ground and found support and a panicking Penrith defence only halted the attack in their own 22 and then illegally so in two plays they had conceded ten points and gave a very close game a completely different complexion.
Penrith were 11 points down and in the 20 minutes that were left threw caution to the wind and ran the ball at every opportunity to try and create chances. They did dominate the final quarter and the home side were happy just to hang on but the fact they were able to keep out the leagues top scorers says something about the quality of their defensive organisation. Penrith went close but not close enough and had chances from 5m scrums and tap penalties in the opposition 22..
Tunstall almost set up the try with a break into the 22, Jon Fell looked to be going to score in the corner from a blind side move from a 5m scrum but a defender got a hand on the ball. A breakout by Jamie McNaughton and then Fell looked to have put Littleton clear but he was bundled into touch in the corner. It just didn't happen!
The result may not have pleased the coaching team but the performance of 18 year old prop Adam Howe certainly did, he more than held his own in the set scrum, ran the ball in with gusto and fulfilled all his defensive duties and looks like making himself a fixture in the side.
It is not a complete disaster, Bradford and Bingley are an improving side, they are now at full strength and have won seven games on the bounce. They will more than trouble some of the other sides in the mix at the top of the table and although Penrith have dropped into fifth place their game in hand still leaves them handily placed.