Penrith's home win against Broughton Park in the last round of league games had seen them leapfrog Widnes into fourth place in the league table. If they wanted to keep ahead of them they had to avoid defeat when they visited them on Saturday but in the end they ran out reasonably comfortable winners.
They were excellent in the first quarter, they also finished strongly but did their best to frustrate their coaching staff in the middle two quarters. They were to totally dominate the set scrummage which was to prove the corner stone of their victory with only one of their tries not coming directly or indirectly from the set scrum.
Penrith had much the better opening exchanges and went close to scoring from a 5m attacking lineout but were penalised for hanging on to the ball. They had to wait until the seventh minute to open the scoring, the Penrith eight shunted the home scrummage off their own ball and first Mike Stephens and then Mike Fearon made ground. The ball was then lost in contact and fell kindly to Tama Toomata who weighed up his options, drew in the last two defenders before playing an exquisite pass out of contact to release Jon Fell on the left wing who was left with the task of running the ball in and he had the pace to score in the corner. Fearon then hit an exquisite conversion off the touchline in a swirling wind and the Cumbrians were away.
The next score came when the home pack were penalised at the scrum and the visitors kicked to the corner, the lineout was won and after a couple of forward drives the ball came to the backs where Fell came off his wing and cut through midfield and was pulled down just in front of the posts, the ball came to Toomata who picked his way past the last defenders to dive in, Fearon added a much easier conversion.
The set scrummage was again the home side's problem just minutes later, they had bravely defended some aggressive Penrith forward driving play and held the ball up over their own line and were awarded a 5m scrum. The Penrith eight with South African props Jarrett Crouch and Sanele Mtuemu to the fore unceremoniously shunted them backwards off their own ball and Stephens at No8 was left with the easiest of tasks dotting the ball down. Fearon again converted and the visitors were 21 points to the good before the first quarter was up.
A malaise then seemed to set in, conditions were admittedly difficult, it was windy and cold and there were squally snow, sleet and hail showers but there were too many handling errors, too many wrong decisions and definitely too many penalties conceded and a pretty poor Widnes side were allowed some possession and field position and could well have scored before half time.
Penrith did turn round to face the elements without conceding and it looked as if a stern halftime talking to had got them back on track as they scored from the first play of the second half. With the wind at their backs the home side cleared their lines and a swirling kick was well taken by Henry Hadfield who was strong enough to hold the ball up until the support arrived. The ball was moved into midfield where it was crashed up by Stephens before it was recycled and fed to the backs. Pale Tuilagi straightened the line and released Kris Bratton who made the outside break. He had Fell in support outside him but the winger read the situation correctly, switched to Bratton's inside to take the pass and motor away from the cover and score next to the posts. Fearon again added the conversion and the Cumbrians looked home and dry.
Perhaps this is what they thought as again they took their foot off the gas and let the home side back into the game. They scored two tries, one from some rare decent scrum ball and the second from a lineout following a penalty kicked to the corner. They were pressing again and looked like scoring for a third time and with the score at 12-28 the visiting supporters were beginning to check their watches as their side were just hanging on.
Penrith successfully defended a couple more lineouts close to the line and a 5m scrum and that seemed to take the wind out of the Widnes sails, they had given it their all but Penrith were then to dominate the closing period. They were playing deep in the home 22 and forced a 5m scrum from which Toomata claimed his second try and with the game going into added time won another 5m scrum.
Penrith then blooded another teenager as young Ryan Banks came on at prop which allowed the coaching staff to move Crouch, playing his final game before flying home, to move back to No8 in attempt to score the try his six month's of effort at the club richly deserved. The Penrith scrum moved slowly forward but it looked as if their efforts had been thwarted as the ball squirted out of the scrum and the backs attacked, they were however held up over the line and a second 5m scrum awarded.
This time the strike was clean, the scrum inched forward and wheeled a little to the left, Jarrett took his chance, picked the ball and broke and no one was going to come between him and the try both he and all the rest of the club were wishing for. The whole team mobbed him as he tried to get to his feet and it was a fitting end to a wonderful stay for everyone involved. It was not quite the end as he attempted the conversion and went on to demonstrate he was a much better prop than a goal kicker!
Before kick off Widnes had claimed to be several men down and to be fair they did not look like a side that had been in the top four for most of the season. You can only, though, beat the team that is in front of you and this is what Penrith had done and taken a bonus point home with them.