The Penrith players were bitterly disappointed at not being able to start the season on the newly completed artificial surface at Winters Park. Paperwork, bureaucracy, insurance and the lack of certification from the RFU meant the game had to be played on the second team pitch. Whether it was this fact that was responsible for their below par start to the game or the fact that Stockport were a big, strong, mobile outfit doesn't matter, Penrith were caught cold in the first quarter and weren't at the races.
Stockport were two tries to the good and 12 points up after five minutes, an unnecessary penalty allowed them to kick to the corner for an attacking lineout and a well practiced catch and drive earned them their first score. They then put the ball through the phases when they took the restart and scored far too easily without the home team touching the ball.
Penrith then did get a little bit of possession and had Brad Taylor over in the corner but were brought back for a knock on. They then looked like scoring and had three lineouts close to the visitors' line in quick succession but lost the ball in the opposition 22 and allowed the Stockport backs the freedom to score from virtually their own line with the turnover ball. The Cumbrians were then staring down the barrel when at least five tacklers missed the visitors' fullback as he danced through them to set up the fourth try, they were 24 points down in as many minutes.
A bit of sanity then reigned as the home side managed to hold on to the ball for longer periods and string together some phases of decent rugby, out of this Ed Swale and Jay Rossi managed to combine to set Jamie McNaughton away for their opening score, Matt Allinson hit a decent conversion but hope didn't last long as they immediately conceded a fifth try.
Just before half time they did create a nice try, McNaughton came off his wing to break the defensive line and then fed the ball back inside to Swale who went in under the posts, as they turned around they faced a mammoth task trailing 29-14.
They did start the second half much brighter but were then their own worst enemy conceding a penalty to allow the visitors to kick to the corner and set up their second try from the catch and drive at the lineout. Stockport then secured the restart, played possession rugby, went through the phases and scored a seventh try, with half an hour to go and 29 points up it looked as if it could be a real cricket score.
The Penrith heads did not go down, they were determined to not to let themselves down and prove they were a better side than the score suggested. McNaughton scored his second try wide out after the ball was spun wide from a lineout deep in the visitors' 22 and Allinson converted off the touchline. Penrith were down to 14 when Josh Dowson was yellow carded on his own line and from the ensuing 5m scrum the Stockport back row muscled their way over in the corner.
Penrith continued to battle away, Rossi was in possession wide out and ignored the winger outside him on the overlap and cut inside the last man to score the fourth and bonus point try. Olly May was then found enough space down the right to show his pace and took his try well going over in the corner. The home side had the final word and Dowson found a gap close to the line and got himself over.
David Preston had told his team before the game he wasn't bothered about his side in attack as they would always score tries, he was bothered about them in defence and that proved to be exactly the case. You shouldn't score six tries and lose! On the positive side, after an abysmal start, they showed great spirit to remain in the game but they are going to quickly up their tempo at the start of games or they are going to create problems for themselves. The trip to Carlisle next week is looking anything but easy