When the fixtures were announced at the beginning of the season this is the game the whole of the Penrith camp were looking for, a chance for a tilt at local rivals Kendal and some game it turned out to be.
No quarter was asked and no quarter was certainly given and in a massively physical game that could have gone either way Penrith just nicked it. Both sides started nervously but the game soon developed into the pattern most people expected it to, Kendal used the battering ram approach at every opportunity whereas Penrith span the ball wide and opened it up whenever they got the chance.
The game was effected by a strong wind and Kendal had first use of it and consequently spent long periods in the home side’s territory, It’s one thing knowing what the opposition are going to but it’s another thing doing something about it. Penrith knew they had to tackle for their lives in midfield and that’s just what they did, vice captain big Ryan Johnson led the way and James Thornton, Mike Stephens and Mike Raine were not far behind, the Penrith tackling was exemplary and the visitor’s steamroller approach hit a brick wall.
Kendal had the first chance to open the scoring but a long range penalty went wide, the home side were first on the scoring sheet when Kendal infringed after a crunching tackle from man of the match Stephens. The penalty was taken quickly on half way, Steve Wood broke the first line of defence and then put Mike Hawley away, he looked to be in but was caught and slipped the ball out of the tackle to winger Kris Bratton who claimed the try. Wood converted a tricky conversion into the wind.
The game followed the same pattern, Kendal continued to batter and the home side’s line stood firm, Penrith ran the ball when they could and centre Neil Warnock, making his home debut, made a couple of clean breaks but the support was not quite close enough to finish them off.
As the first half came to a close Kendal had a scrum under their own posts, this would not trouble them as they had the Penrith scrummage in reverse gear for most of the afternoon. However as the back row broke they foolishly held back home flanker Gary Hodgson, the referee spotted it and Wood took the simple chance to give his side a 10-0 half time lead.
That should really have been job done for the Winters Park men, the Kendal attack blunted and a tail wind with a ten point lead. Perhaps that’s what they thought because the second period was a very different kettle of fish. Kendal kicked off and it was knocked on on the 22. The men from over Shap Fell won the scrum and played phase after phase close to the breakdown and inched closer and closer to the Penrith line. It wasn’t very pretty but it was pretty effective and eventually prop Richard Herryman barrelled over, the conversion went over and then within five minutes they were in the lead.
Another knock on threw the home rearguard into disarray and when they were penalised the penalty went to the corner for a 5m attacking lineout. This is meat and drink to the visiting pack and this time the home side were unable to hold them and Reece Tomlinson touched down, crucially it was well out and the conversion was missed into the wind.
Kendal now had their tails up and that was to prove their undoing, they rarely moved the ball wide but now they had the confidence to do so, Warnock read a long pass, went for the interception, and went in under the posts. Wood converted and the home side had their noses in front again.
When Wood had the chance he used the wind and penned the visitors in their own half but the longer the game went on the less he saw of the ball and the more defending the home side had to do and the more desperate it became. The penalty count in the second half was ten to one in favour of the visitors, the referee got some stick from the home supporters but it was not his fault, it was down to the intensity of the Kendal play.
As the minutes ticked away first Mike Raine was yellow carded and with three minutes to go so was James Thornton. Penrith were frantically defending on their own line and now were two forwards down with Kendal just awarded a 5m scrum.
At this stage your money would be on Kendal, they had bossed the scrums and a pushover try or a penalty try looked inevitable. With centre Hawley packing down at No8 the home supporters held their breath, the scrum wheeled, the ball squirted out and the 13 men of Penrith threw themselves at the attackers. They were awarded their first penalty of the half, cleared their lines and then were able to keep Kendal in midfield as the clock ran down.
It was a damned close thing, Penrith probably just about deserved their win because of their resolute defending and the fact they had tried to play the better rugby. Neither set of supporters could deride their players who had given absolutely everything they had, there would be some sore bodies on Sunday.
Penrith now travel to unbeaten Harrogate on the back of a three game winning sequence and with their confidence high, no one who’d been on the touchline three weeks earlier after they had shipped 81 points at Sandal expected to be in this position!