If Penrith's followers were expecting a reaction from their side following their dismal performance the week before they were not disappointed, in fact they got it in spades as they produced one of their best 80 minutes in recent years.
The Cumbrians were up for it from the off as they ripped into a decent Percy Park side, they started with real purpose and intent and the failings of the previous week were put aside as the ran the ball in at pace and in defence stopped the visitors on the gain line. The only surprising thing was in the form they were in it took them over 20 minutes to open the scoring, perhaps it showed how well the visitors defended in the first quarter.
They had had three throw ins to attacking lineouts just yards from the Percy Park line and failed to convert them and had dominated possession and territory even though they were playing into what was at times a gale. They were hammering into contact with James Hogg in particular to the fore with Matt Allinson and Ryan Johnson not far behind.
The visitor's stand off got yellow carded for a high tackle on 20 minutes and that seemed to be the catalyst for a ten minute purple patch where the home side ran in four tries. Penrith were pressing as they had done since the start and an increasingly desperate defence were penalised, not for the first time and George Graham took a quick one some 10m out, he flipped the ball to Hogg who crashed it in close to the line and when the ball was recycled it came to big Will Morgan who burst the last line of defence for his first try of the season.
The visitors then conceded a further three tries without touching the ball apart from the restart kicks. The next score was created by Allinson who broke the defensive line on halfway and made ground to the 22 before offloading to Ross Jackson who outpaced the cover to the line for a neat try. Graham took the next restart and set up Hogg who tore, once more, into the visiting tacklers and made ground, when the ball came to the backs Jackson made a half break which was carried on by Liam Tunstall who set Jay Rossi away on halfway, he got to the 22 and the two defenders looking to cut off his run got in each others way as he stepped between them and then on to the line.
Penrith were running the men from the North East ragged as Johnson took the next restart and hammered his way upfield, a sweeping move came to the backs and Jamie McNaughton hit the line and made yards before cleverly clipping the ball with the outside of his boot towards the corner flag, when Brad Taylor arrived at pace all he had to do was touch it down.
Ed Swale almost repeated the trick for Taylor with another chip to the corner but it didn't just quite come off, the home side were flying though but did concede on the stroke of halftime. With their first bit of meaningful possession the visitors did manage to produce a try which because of their dominance Penrith would be disappointed to let it slip.
With the wind at their backs Penrith cranked it up again in the second half but conceded an interception try as the ball went astray in the wind, they stuck to their task though and soon had the visitor's defence straining under the pressure. They won a scrum close to the Park line and first the forwards tried to batter their way over, Graham then decided to release his backs but the ball went to ground as it was spun left, Swale however gathered it and was aware of Taylor being unmarked on the left touchline and spun it wide to him for a run in.
They scored their next when the pack drove the Park eight off the own scrummage ball on their own line, there were several drives for the line as the home forwards inched closer and it was Hogg who eventually got the touchdown, it was richly deserved as he was having a blinder and was about everyone's man of the match.
They got their next from a neat move where Jon Fell came off the blindside wing and took an inside ball off Jackson to romp in under the posts. From the restart Tunstall and Fell combined in a flowing move to set up Graham for a run in under the posts and their last try came from a turnover in midfield. The ball ran lose as the visitors tried to move it on halfway, Rossi gathered, fed Taylor who in turn put McNaughton away who accelerated towards the line, he got his heels clipped just short and spectacularly somersaulted over the line to claim the score.
The visitors came back with a late flourish and got a try with the last play of the game but it failed to take the gloss off an excellent display. With a difficult game next up away at Morpeth they'll just have to bottle up whatever it was that set them up for this game and load it on the coach for the trip over the A69 next Saturday. If they can replicate this form they will be bad to beat.