After a run of poor form especially away from home Penrith's
performance at Burnage on Saturday was every bit as important as the
result. Despite a run of defeats they could not have put up a more
spirited display, the backs certainly produced their best performance
of the season and although the forwards were under the cosh throughout
they gave it their all.
Penrith's luck with injuries certainly hasn't changed, they lost Ross
Jackson in the warm up when his studs got caught in the synthetic
playing surface and although he did make an appearance from the bench
when Mike Fearon split his head open he was clearly one legged. After
four minutes they lost James Hogg clearly dazed and again he reappeared
but they ended the game with barely 15 fit men out of the 18 man squad.
The first scrummage of the game was ominous as the Penrith pack were
shunted backwards at a rate of knots and they also struggled to contain
the home eight when they were able to set up the driving maul. In fact
six of the eight tries Burnage scored were to come from one or the
other tactic, they only scored two tries in open play. If only Penrith
could achieved parity in the set the outcome would have been much
different.
Penrith started brightly and were to open the scoring after quarter of
an hour, in so many recent games they have conceded early scores and
been out of the game virtually before it has started but not this time.
The ball came to Fearon on half way and with Ben Littleton on his
shoulder he put a little kick through which Littleton raced on to and
collected, he stepped the fullback and no one was going to catch him as
he raced in under the posts. He converted himself for a seven point
lead.
As the first half progressed Penrith played some nice rugby but as soon
as the home pack got within striking distance of the Cumbrian's line
they muscled their way over, they were to score three converted tries
before the break with the driven maul with the Penrith forwards
seemingly powerless to stop them.
Penrith turned round 21-7 behind but scored from the restart to move
within a score. Dan Richardson took the kick off and Gary Hodgson made
a blinding break down the middle of the field, he found Josh Dowson on
his left who continued the run. He looked to have missed his chance to
link but the cover was more interested in Littleton on his outside and
he cut back inside to score himself.
Penrith then lost their put in to the scrum and lineout in quick
sucession and were defending on their own line and Burnage moved the
ball wide for once and scored in the corner. Penrith hit back with a
third try, Hodgson was performing miracles at the base of the
retreating scrum and on the home 22 found scrum half Ed Swale who
looked to throw a long pass to no one but it found the rapidly
advancing Littleton who broke the line at pace and put Jon Fell in at
the corner.
Penrith were then to frustratingly conceded two push over tries and a
catch and drive from a line out over the next 15 minutes but the
visitor's effort never faltered and they were to score a bonus point
try from a lineout on the home 22. JJ Key took the lineout throw and
Hodgson ran the ball up into midfield, the ball then came to Dowson who
had a yawning gap in front of him and took full advantage and went in
at the corner.
Burnage scored another try to break 50 points but Penrith had the last
word when Fell broke from deep in his own half, Mike Stephens was in
support and seemed to veer away from the support but Swale was steaming
up on the blind side and was on hand to link with Stephens and forced
his way over in what was the final play of the game.
It wasn't a win but it was a much improved showing and something to
build on with 10 games to go.