Penrith returned to their league programme after the three week festive layoff and were very disappointed with their performance at Billingham, although they were competitive for long periods they went down by four tries to nil and for the final 20 minutes faded badly.
They were the better side from the off and had a reasonably easy penalty chance for a three point lead inside three minutes but instead took the quick tap and tried to catch the home defence unawares with a cross kick to the corner. These attempts have come off in the past but not on this occasion.
It is a well known fact Billingham play open rugby and move the ball at every available opportunity and this game was no different, it was a surprise then that they caught Penrith unawares when they took a quick tap when awarded a penalty just into the visitor’s half and scored with little trouble in the corner for a five point lead. Penrith were lucky not to fall further behind when the home full back followed up a chip and chase, the ball bounced kindly straight into his hands and he was taken out without the ball as he chipped the last defender. Steve Wood was yellow carded but the fourteen left on the field weathered the storm.
Things then swung back the Cumbrians way, it hasn’t happened much recently but the Penrith front row of Craig Rumney, James Thornton and Craig Price were giving their opposite numbers a torrid time. The home scrum had already conceded three penalties at the set and when asked to defend a 5m scrum were struggling. They were penalised again but Penrith asked to reset the scrum, this time they drove for the line and looked favourites to score, with the line in sight a stray boot dislodged the ball and the chance had gone.
Penrith attacked again and this time Wood rolled the ball into touch on the home 22, Mike Raine stole the home throw in to the lineout and they launched another attack. The home side were caught offside and this time Penrith took on the kick for goal and Wood reduced the deficit to two points.
As they often do Penrith relaxed as the first half drew to a close and the home side were in the ascendancy and on the Penrith line, they managed to thwart the first scoring attempt when Billingham were held up over the line but when the attacked from the ensuing 5m scrum a hole was found in the defence in midfield and a score under the posts left an easy conversion for a 12-3 half time scoreline.
As the second period started Penrith again came back hard, good runs from the base of the scrum by Raine made good ground but their attacking play was frustrated when they went through a period of not being able to win their own lineouts, crooked throwing in gave the impetus back to the home side.
Penrith then looked to have opened the home defence up on their 22, if the ball had gone wide they would have probably scored and the game may have been different but it didn’t and with 20 minutes left the home side scored a well constructed try. Good handling and teamwork in difficult conditions paid off and that was the end of the game as a contest.
The Cumbrians huffed and puffed but the home side kept them penned in their own half and on a very heavy pitch running the length of the field to score was never an option. The game then ran it’s course and Billingham added a fourth try at the death to put the tin hat on a miserable afternoon.
It was not a complete disaster, they had competed well for long periods, the set scrum was as good as it has been all season, the forwards more than held their own, for once the problem was behind the scrum. There was some naive kicking by a number of the backs straight into the opposition hands inviting them to attack, which they did with relish, a lack of penetration and very few clean breaks.
There are a few “i”s to dot and “t”s to cross before taking on Burnage next week, they are the only side Penrith have beaten away this season so they will not want to slip up against them at home and they will also want to keep a cushion between themselves and the drop zone.