The scoreline might suggest a regulation home win for Penrith in their first game of the new league season but that is not just quite how it played out on Saturday. The home side started brightly and were 10 points up in as many minutes but for the remainder of the first half they were pretty dire and trailed at the break. They looked like a side that hadn't recently trained or played together, for good reason, then in the second half they found a bit of cohesion and eventually ran out comfortable winners.
Matthew Allinson kicked a penalty after early Penrith pressure for a three point lead and they soon added a try. Ryan Johnson broke from No8 on half way and made ground, the ball came to the backs with Allinson on the charge who put Jay Rossi away. Rossi had the last defender to beat with left winger Brook Birley on his shoulder, a little show of the ball stood the defender up and he cut inside him and scored under the posts, Allinson added the conversion for a 10 point advantage.
Whether the home side thought it was now going to be easy or the Waterloo players then got the bus journey out of their system is debatable but the longer the first half went on the more dominant the visitors got. They kicked a simple penalty to cut the arrears to one score and on the half hour leveled with a converted try. They had a 5m scrum in the right hand corner and were making little progress against the Penrith pack so launched a cross kick into the far corner and with two attackers on one defender won the ball in the air for the try.
They took the lead when they won turn over ball on their own 10m line and quickly moved it wide to move the ball down their left wing and score in the corner, the conversion was wide and they led 15-10 at the break, Penrith had George Graham to thank for keeping them in the game with his last ditch try saving tackle taking the winger into touch just short of the line.
The second period was a completely different affair, the home side eventually got their act together and the visitors began to tire, they had been walking to lineouts after quarter of an hour and when Penrith were able to play at pace they could take full advantage.
Penrith were on the front foot from the off and kicked a penalty to the corner for the attacking lineout, they won possession and drove only to be stopped when the visitors infringed, the ball went our for another lineout and this time they got the ball over the line but couldn't ground it. They had a 5m scrum and again attempted to turn the screw and again Waterloo only held them out by conceding a penalty. Penrith opted for another 5m scrum and got the nudge on and inched forward, again the visitors infringed and this time the referee had had enough and awarded a penalty try.
With their noses in front Penrith did their usual trick of conceding penalties and allowing the opposition easy entry to their 22, they were however able to defend without too much bother. They then added a third try from their own 22, scrum ball was fed straight to Allinson who burst through the first line of defence, Johnson made ground before the ball went wide to Birley, this was the first time he had chance in open space on his first appearance for the club and did he accelerate away. He escaped the clutches of his winger and then the fullback looked to have him closed down but he found another gear and his pace took him clear for the try.
Although Penrith did invite pressure on to themselves by giving too many penalties away they never now looked in any great danger. Birley got his second try on the short side following a lineout and ruck on the Waterloo line. As the visitors threw the ball about in desperation to try and get back into the game Rossi spotted the interception chance and ran the ball in unopposed from inside his own half.
Waterloo did get another score when Penrith conceded a penalty on their own line but had the last word in stoppage time, the visitors messed up a lineout on their own 22 and gifted the ball to Johnson who charged for the line and then found Graham who went in at the corner.
Allinson added the conversion off the touchline to complete the home side's day, after a scant pre-season this victory will hopefully result in the whole squad knuckling down and playing to their potential to put together a decent season.