Penrith slipped to their third defeat out of three and are just starting to look over their shoulders, they are two only spots above the relegation zone and have a 13 point cushion but there is no room for complacency. Two of the three losses have been away from home with a much depleted squad. They had a strong squad out this Saturday but faced a very proficient Harrogate team who although lying second are probably the best all round rugby side in the league. Penrith battled hard but were ultimately beaten by a better side.
Steve Wood kicked off and found touch well into the Harrogate 22. The visitors won the lineout and put a marker down for the afternoon and showed their intent by running the ball from their own line. They ran the ball with purpose throughout the game, hung on to possession for long periods, rarely kicked the ball away and made Penrith spend a lot of time without the ball.
The Cumbrians to their credit, in the main defended manfully, they spent a lot of time deep in their own 22 and scrambled the ball away on a number of occasions. Harrogate pressed incessantly, they almost opened the scoring but the final pass went forward, Penrith were given the scrum 5 metres out for the but were then penalised. The visitors took the quick tap and three phases later had scored their first converted try.
The half hour approached and Penrith continued to hang on, when they did get their hands on the ball the pressure put on the by the visitor’s defence meant they rarely had it for more than a couple of phases and generally ended up kicking it away. It looked only a matter of time before Harrogate added to their lead but then out of nowhere the home side produced probably their best try of the season. Mike Hawley made the break on half way, Gary Hodgson in support continued the run and played the ball out to Ben Littleton on the wing, Ed Swale up from full back took the ball on the outside of Littleton and the ball came back inside to Hawley before eventually coming back to Swale who squeezed over wide out. Wood’s excellent conversion from wide out levelled the scores and the Cumbrians from chasing shadows were back in the game.
With their confidence uplifted they were on the attack again, Ryan Johnson broke from a scrum on the 22 and almost made the line, the home forwards then arrived and picked and drove till they were on the line and Ian McDowell spotted the gap and dived over by the corner flag.
Harrogate came back strongly and from a lineout on the home 22 on the stroke of half time their forwards drove for the line. They retained possession impressively and after numerous phases eventually broke the Penrith defence to score, the conversion gave them a slender 12-14 half time advantage.
The visitors were fastest out of the blocks after the break and stormed the Penrith line, the home side withstood the battering and came away with the ball and had chances of their own. A penalty kick to the corner for an attacking lineout missed its mark, Hodgson broke into the visitor’s 22 but didn’t find the support on his outside.
As the contest went on Harrogate stepped up the intensity of their game, opened the game up and stretched Penrith to their limits, the home side never folded but Harrogate went on to score three more well constructed, well executed tries. Penrith countered and Littleton went close on a couple of occasions, Gavin Cartmel, playing his first game at Winters Park for two seasons showed some flashes of his ability but they were plainly out played.
Thoughts now turn to the games coming up which do not provide as tough a test as Harrogate, with most players now being available there needs to be an accumulation of points to lift them away from the relegation places and ease any worries there may be. The league table shows two five point bonus wins would put them in fourth place so congested is the middle of the table that a return to some sort of form will quickly put things right..