Penrith's start to the league season was a lot like many of their games
in the recent past, a real cliff-hanger, a rollercoaster of a match
with the result in question right up to the death. They had to be happy
with a draw after trailing by 17 points well into the second half but
they could so easily have won and on reflection they will have to ask
how they let themselves get in that position to start with!
They started really well, they had the upper hand in the set scrimmage
which is so often a problem even though they were short in the front
row, they were moving the ball well and running the patterns they have
been practising all summer to some effect and had Westoe on the back
foot. It was a bit against the run of play when the visitors opened the
scoring on heir first visit to the home 22. Penrith were caught offside
under their own posts and it was the easiest of penalties.
The Cumbrians were soon back in the game, their Kiwi stand off Pale
Tuilagi made an interception on halfway but couldn't make the line,
Scott Harrison was up in support and play was taken right into the
right hand corner, the forwards landed en masse and battered the
visitor's line with drive after drive. They eventually came up trumps
as Glenn Carr barrelled over wide out for the try but the conversion
went narrowly wide into the wind.
The game was being played at a tremendous tempo but the longer the half
went on the more the home side were on the receiving end. It was a wet
afternoon and handling was tricky but they spilt too much ball and were
turned over too many times for comfort which continually put them under
pressure. They were playing the game deeper and deeper in their own
half and finding life more and more difficult. Having said that they
were defending bravely with some good last ditch tackling and Phil Fell
in particular courageously dived on one loose ball under his own posts
when a try looked certain.
The Penrith set scrum which looked so solid at the start of the game
was now beginning to creak and it was no shock when Westoe scored from
a 5m scrum, they were able to drive and wheel the scrummage to give
their big No8 the easiest of tries, it was adjacent to the posts making
the conversion easy and Penrith were 5-10 down. They were 5-15 down
within a couple of minutes as Westoe ran a second try in from a scrum
on half way, there were no badly missed tackles, the ball was just
played out of the tackle time after time and it was a nicely
constructed score.
Half time could not come soon enough for the home side for a chance to
reorganise and get their game back together, the start of the second
half however was worse than the end of the first, the home pack were
getting driven off the ball in the set and their lineout disintegrated
losing nine consecutive throw ins. They were seriously under the cosh
and conceded a penalty try trying to defend a 5m scrum. At 5-22 down
they looked dead and buried, the visitors had their tails up with the
lions share of possession and Penrith were on the back foot.
The introduction of Kevin Walker off the bench helped the cause, he has
a physical presence, put in some big hits and gave the home side a bit
of momentum. Penrith kicked a penalty to touch in the visitor's 22,
Westoe were penalised at the lineout and the ball was tapped and Gary
Hodgson ran it up and the forwards swarmed to the ball and drove for
the line from 15m out. They stuck to their task with drive after drive
and their persistence paid off when Walker came up with the score and
Tuilagi's kick pulled them back within 10 points.
The game gradually swung the way of the home side, the two Fell
brothers, Jon and Phil, combined to take play out of their own half to
the visitor's 10m line, the battling Ed Swale continued the run and
when Westoe were penalised for pulling back a support runner Tuilagi
kicked the penalty to pull them back within a score. The visitors had
their second row forward yellow carded and Penrith got a head of steam
up in the final 10 minutes against their 14 men.
Phil Fell found Ben Littleton whose run and chip and chase took play
deep into the Westoe 22, the chasers were up quick and put the
defenders under pressure and they were penalised at the breakdown. The
ball was kicked to the corner and this was a lineout Penrith won, the
ball was moved into midfield and again it was a forward drive. It
wasn't pretty but it was effective as they rumbled forward. This time
it was Craig Price who came up with the score and Tuilagi added the two
points to level the scores.
Penrith had scored three ugly tries and they very nearly added a fourth
as they again drove for the line deep into stoppage time, they were
just inches short from what would have amounted to daylight robbery.
This is a tight knit squad and they have to be admired for mounting
such a spirited comeback. It was down in no small part to their new 24
year old captain Ryan Johnson, his tackle count was enormous, he ran
the ball in hard for everyone of the 80 minutes and led his side from
the front. It was a day for grafters and James Hogg and Mike Stephens
both put a shift and a half in but everyone played their part. Heads
did not go down when a heavy defeat looked on the cards, there's plenty
to work on and things can only improve as everyone becomes available.