Penrith made an ideal start to their league campaign on Saturday with a bonus point win against newly promoted Bolton. The scoreline would suggest an easy regulation victory but that was far from the case, Bolton started full of confidence which was understandable from a side which has been promoted twice in successive seasons. Penrith on the other hand looked tentative and nervous.
In only the third minute the visitors were ahead, for the second time the home side over threw at the lineout and Bolton cleaned up at the tail, the ball was shifted quickly wide and their outside centre who had and excellent game created space for his winger who got away around the outside then chipped the ball into the home 22, Penrith failed to clear their lines, the ball turned over, taken down the short side and the winger scored in the corner.
The home side did try to hit back, a penalty attempt went wide and Ryan Johnson had a storming run from the back of the set scrum on half way deep into the visitor's 22 but it would be Bolton who scored next. A 22 drop out was hit long, the chase was not too good and again the Bolton "13" made Penrith pay, he sliced through the first wave of chasers and once in behind the home cover they took their chance well and were 12 points to the good.
It was on the half hour the nature of the game began to change, the Bolton forwards were clearly struggling with the pace of the game and even at this stage were walking to lineouts. From seeing very little of the ball the home side increasingly dominated possession. They did not score before the break but went close with a penalty kick to the corner and a catch and drive, an inside ball to Jamie McNaughton coming off the blind side wing saw him break into the 22 but he couldn't quite finish it off.
Penrith had the visitors on the back foot from the start of the second period, Pale Tuilagi kicked off long and the ball was knocked on close to the line, the scrum was won and Penrith piled on the pressure. They battered away at the visitor's line and got their rewards when a poor clearance kick was hit down the throat of Darren Lee. The winger gathered the ball and went on an arcing run aiming for the posts, he broke through two tacklers on the 22, brushed another aside before carrying another over the line with him. The conversion went over and the home side were back in the game.
Tuilagi's kicking for position was excellent as he kept sending the flagging visiting pack back into their own 22. Penrith saw a penalty go wide before the gained parity. Mark Bowman now on as an impact sub broke from the back of a 5m scrum and almost made the line, scrum half Ed Swale got the recycled ball and picked his way through the disorganised Bolton defence before setting up the easiest of tries for Kris Bratton with a pop pass against a flat footed defence.
Penrith were straight back on the offensive and a there was a desperate defender's hand in a ruck deep in the 22, the referee spotted it and Tuilagi slotted the penalty and the home side had their noses ahead. Again they were straight back on the attack, the lineout was functioning much better now, Phil Gardham secured the ball from a four man line, the ball was moved into midfield where Bowman agan made an impact with a penetrating run. Tuilagi received slow ball from the ruck, stepped back and went blind. He rounded a forward on the side of the ruck, made ground to the 22, drew the winger and released McNaughton with a clear run for the line. The youngster had plenty of pace to make the line and dived in at the corner.
Penrith scored their bonus point try from a lineout close to the line, the forwards drove for the line and then it was spun wide to the left, Bratton made the break but was hauled down close to the line, the ball ran loose and was snapped up by Lee made the line and spectacularly dived in behind the posts. Penrith were home and dry and completed the scoring when the visitors took a quick lineout on their own 22, the fullback was caught, the ball turned over which came to James Boustead who had had another excellent game, he looked to be stepping his way to the line but was brought down just short. He did however manage to slip the ball to Swale who ran the try in around the back of the posts.
Penrith's hard pre season had seen them home once more and Head Coach David Preston told his players they had just started, there was a lot more hard work to be done if they were to become the finished article.