Penrith followed their good away win at Vale of Lune with an excellent victory against a strong Birkenhead Park side who lie one place above them in the league in second spot. This game followed the pattern of many of the games between the two clubs with the cut and thrust of the Penrith three quarters ranged against the strength and drive of the visitors combative pack.
That is pretty much how the game played out and on the home side's perfect artificial grass surface it was the speed of the home backs that won out but not without a struggle. Things could be much different on the playing surface on the Wirral later in the season where no play would have been possible yesterday because of the wet weather.
It was the visitors who got off to the better start and were ahead in the first ten minutes, two clean breaks down the middle of the field saw them run in a too easy try by the posts for a seven point advantage. Penrith did not take long to hit back and had a purple patch of ten minutes where they scored four tries.
George Graham had nearly caught the visitors out earlier with a quickly taken penalty and now caught them napping a second time, he made good ground and the run was continued by Will Morgan, the ball then was spun right by the backs and Jay Rossi took a short flat pass off Ross Jackson, hit the gap and outpaced the full back for the try. Rossi claimed the second try after Graham had picked his way through the visitor's pack following a lineout, Adam Howe bulldozed the ball on a bit further before the ball came to the backs and Olly Gutteridge made a clean break, drew the full back and put the try on a plate.
Penrith had scored five tries in their previous game and not converted one of them and prop Morgan had put his hand up to take on the kicking duties and duly knocked over this kick having missed the harder first conversion attempt.
The third try came when Jackson found winger Brook Birley with an accurate cross field kick straight into his hands, he took the ball, had the strength to shrug off his opposite number and then the pace to make the corner and the Cumbrians were rampant. Morgan had a hand in the next try getting the ball to Jackson who wriggled through a gap into clear space on the left, he then fed Gutteridge who cut a line back to the posts and went clean through leaving the last defender in his wake. Morgan notched the conversion and Penrith led 24-7 as the game went into the second quarter.
The visitors then pegged Penrith back when they kicked a penalty to the corner and their powerful forwards executed a textbook catch and drive from the lineout followed by a series of pick and goes for a converted try. The home side were on the attack again in a frantic first half, Jackson saw the opportunity for a chip and chase and put the ball in behind the visitor's back line but was body checked as he sprinted through. The penalty was given and Morgan struck it nicely from 30m to pull out the lead but Birkenhead had the last say in the first half when they scored a second try from an attacking lineout, they trailed 27-19 at the break.
The visitors started the second half on the front foot when Penrith got themselves offside at the kickoff and the three points on offer from the penalty were taken. Two minutes later the home side hit back from a set scrum just into the Wirral side's half, Josh Dowson broke from No8 and went left down the blind side and released Graham, he then put Birley away around the outside but he still had a bit to do and stepped back inside the cover for a good try.
Penrith led by ten points but it was only five as the game went into the final quarter and the visitors scored another try from an attacking lineout, the game was in the balance. Nerves were settled a little in the final ten minutes when Graham sniped down the blind side, Dan Richardson was able to make more progress then Gutteridge got clean away and set Fraser Nicolson up for a run in.
Penrith led by ten as the game went into added time and the visitors were pressing and won a penalty under the Penrith posts, would they go for another attacking lineout, no. Their head coach marched on to the field with the kicking tee and the penalty went over to earn them a losing bonus point to go with their four try bonus point. They were clearly happy with their two points as the fielded the restart and banged it straight into touch to end the game.
There's now a free week for the World Cup Final so Penrith can lick their wounds before preparing to travel to Burnage and see if they can repeat the upturn in their away form.