Penrith did not travel back from Warrington with the second away win of the season they were desperately looking for but they did come back with the next best thing, a bonus point draw. It was a close run thing with them only losing their lead to a last kick of the game penalty.
Penrith's poor away form has been well documented and they traveled determined to get it right. At Warrington, of all places, you have to get off to a decent start and stand up to them physically or you can end up being bullied out of the game. Penrith did not make the most auspicious of starts but they did roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. They were playing up the slope and against the elements, Jon Fell and Ross Jackson fielded two towering bombs in the wind in the opening minutes to settle the nerves and a very close game ensued.
The home side had the first chance but missed a penalty on five minutes, Penrith kicked a penalty to the corner shortly after and won the lineout but couldn't force their way over. The visiting pack had much the better of the set scrums and were putting the home eight under pressure deep in their own 22, it was poor possession for the home side but they scrambled the ball away. Their stand off made a neat break and sped out of the 22, as he was closed down he chipped ahead with the winger in pursuit, as he caught the ball up it bounced up nicely for him to take it cleanly and run the opening try in, an easy conversion went over for a seven point lead.
The home side had a second penalty attempt go wide before Penrith got themselves into the game. A busy Josh Dowson made a clean break from open play and almost set George Graham away, Scott Lancaster made a strong run that got the Cumbrians into the home 22. Penrith had the put in to a scrum they won with ease, they had Dowson out in the 10 channel and he ran the ball up almost to the line, Graham made a dart for the line and was just short, with the cover drawn in the ball was then shifted the full width of the pitch to Brad Taylor on the left wing who went in at the corner. The conversion off the touchline was wide into the wind. With Nathan Wooff away Penrith had no full time goalkicker in the side and did not score a point with the boot all afternoon.
Penrith's lineout was functioning well with hooker Craig Price finding jumpers Mike Raine and Dan Richardson with regularity, they took the lead just before the break after winning lineout ball on the home 22. They set up and drove the ball to within feet of the line, Graham and Price both attempted to bulldoze their way over the line but it was Richardson who wriggled himself through the gap to get the ball down.
Penrith's 10-7 lead looked a handy one as they turned around to play down the slope with a following breeze but it was short lived. The home side in the second minute broke through the middle and chipped the ball to the Penrith line, fullback Ed Swale got to the ball but his clearance kick was charged down and it fell nicely for the chasers who just had to fall on it to score. The touchline conversion gave the home side a four point advantage.
The lead changed hands again after Fell fielded a clearance kick on the right touchline, he ran the ball back and linked with Jay Rossi and Taylor who moved the ball across the field and into the home 22, the Penrith forwards then laid seige to the Warrington line with drive after drive until finally something had to give and it was Dowson who came up with the final push and the try and with no conversion a one point lead.
This lifted the home side who came back strongly, Graham made one try saving tackle and it was all hands to the pumps as the visitors defended surge after surge. The referee penalised a Penrith tackler for going high and with the scores being so tight the home side went for the penalty, it was successful and they led by two.
As the game went into the final ten minutes Penrith got themselves into a good field position with a penalty to the corner and a 5m lineout, once more Price hit his man and the maul was set up and got to the line, frantic home defence halted the maul but the ball came to Graham who spun off the side and held off two tacklers to force his way over. Swale, Penrith's third goal kicker of the day was unlucky as his well hit conversion attempt slid wide.
This all set up a nail biting finish with Penrith now three points to the good but defending deep in their own half, the effort could not be faulted as they stopped phase after phase but getting closer and closer to their own line. They made it past 80 minutes but conceded three penalties in added time. Fell thought he had won the game when he took an interception but he couldn't quite hold on to the ball.
Penrith looked as if they had just about done enough but were penalised again, this time instead of tapping and going the home side were a little more circumspect and decided to go for the two points and the draw. It was not a difficult kick and it went over to the sound of the final whistle.
The initial reaction, understandably, was one of disappointment but it wasn't a bad return for a side with only one away win out of eleven attempts. On reflection it was three points won, not two lost and was by far the best performance on the road this season, similar effort in the final four league games of the season will see them safe. Such is the closeness of the league that this draw has taken the Cumbrian side into the top half of the table!