BIRKENHEAD PARK 30 PENRITH 14

Penrith faced a tough task at top of the table Birkenhead Park who had only lost three games all season and not one of them at home. The Cumbrians had been one of the three sides to get the better of them at home but only by the narrowest of margins, they knew it they could play their own game and play at pace they had a chance but get into an arm wrestle with the big Birkenhead pack and they would come a poor second.
The final score might suggest the league leaders had an easy afternoon but that was far from true and they were happy to admit they had been run very close, sport can be cruel and in the final minutes the rugby gods were unkind to a Penrith side that gave its all.
As expected the home side were fast out of the blocks with only three games to win to secure the league title, Penrith faced a bit of an onslaught in the first quarter but took it on the chin and stood firm. They defended on the 22 and did well to keep the rumbling home pack away from the try line. They did concede two penalties as they defended for all they were worth, on both occasions the home side kicked for goal and were successful with one of them.
As the first half wore on it was increasingly played in the Birkenhead half and a three point advantage for their early dominance looked poor reward, it looked even poorer when Ryan Johnson created mayhem with a strong run up the middle of the park, the home side were penalised and Mike Fearon kicked the visitors level.
As the first half drew to a close Penrith had the upper hand, Fearon had another shot at goal after good work by Johnson, Sanele Mtembu and Ed Swale. The kick drifted narrowly wide but in the sixth minute of added time Penrith were awarded another penalty this time just 5 yards into the Birkenhead half. There was no time to kick to the corner so Fearon took the kick on and struck it perfectly and his side turned round with a three point advantage.
The second half started with an exchange of penalties, Birkenhead kicked themselves level before Fearon restored the Cumbrians three point lead. Penrith then opened the game up and had three length of the field moves that could have sealed the game. Defending in their own 22 they turned the ball over and moved the ball left for Jamie McNaughton to weave his way up the wing, when the ball came right in broken play Mike Stephens hit the gap and ate up the yards before putting young winger Steven Cherry away who showed real pace and appeared to go over in the corner.
The referee had spotted something and the home side were awarded a lineout on their own line, they secured the ball and cleared their lines with a steepling kick, Cherry took it on half way and it was quickly transfered to Pale Tuilagi and then to McNaughton who again made ground down the left, the influential Tama Toomata made further ground before the ball was shifted right and then swung back left. This time Henry Hadfield found McNaughton who spun out of one tackle before taking on a second and playing the ball out of contact back to Hadfield who had a clear run to the line.
Penrith were now two scores up and nearly scored again, they broke from their own 22 and Cherry beat his own man and showed him a clean pair of heels, he then put Kris Bratton away and he looked to have outpaced the cover but was brought down just short, another yard or two and the game may have been won!
Birkenhead are not league leaders for no reason and got their act back together and with 20 minutes to go, their pack who had been dominant at the set scrummage finally got a sniff of the line and from a messy 5m scrum managed to bundle their way over, the conversion narrowed the gap to one point at 13-14 and a nail biting finale was guaranteed.
Despite conceding the try Penrith still looked as if they had plenty in the tank to hang on and inflict the first home defeat of the season on their hosts but it was not to be. With four minutes left on the clock from a lineout on the visitor's 22 the home pack drove and drove the maul, resetting it time after time and eventually forced the try. The conversion made it 20-14 but a losing bonus point would have been some consolation for an extremely brave performance but that was not to be either.
As Penrith forced things in stoppage time they conceded two further tries, these were not as a result of heads going down or being worn down it was a desire to try and get something from the game.
The coaching staff immediately after the game could not have been more complimentary about their side's performance and attitude, every man had given his all and none more so than the teenagers in the side. The two Key lads, JJ and Ged were outstanding in the forwards and wingers Cherry and McNaughton showed real class. Hadfield in the centre showed real grit and when Ryan Banks came on at prop, not really a place for a youngster especially at Birkenhead, he played like a man.