A BONUS-point for getting within seven points of their season's first-day opponents Halifax offered consolation for a 17-10 defeat at Mint Bridge on Saturday.

Under the new points system an extra point is awarded for winning by four tries or not losing by more than seven points.

Kendal stand-off Dan Stephens kicked a penalty three minutes into added-on time to earn the point.

Sound defending was a hallmark of Kendal's first-half display as they restricted Halifax to a Doug Sanft penalty after five minutes.

For all of Kendal's lack of possession, it was left winger Luke Ladell scored the only try up to the interval, following a quick tap penalty on 27 minutes.

Flanker Dan Bowman drove the ball in before Stephens put away Andy Hudson for a 20-metre break and he released Ladell, who eluded a cover tackle and touched down behind the posts, Stephens adding the conversion.

Halifax camped on the Kendal tryline for 10 minutes before the break earning no few than five successive penalties, but they spurned to kick at goal and came away with nothing after the home team held them at bay to take a 7-3 lead into half time.

A 57th-minute penalty try was the turning-point in Halifax's favour, the referee penalising Kendal without a warning for bringing down the scrum as the visitors went for a pushover try following a penalty award.

Sanft's conversion from in front of the posts to put Halifax 10-7 ahead.

Kendal posed a lively threat when the ball was sent wide and in the 64th minute Jon Ladell was put away on the right wing and looked to be obstructed when chipping over the last man, but the referee allowed play to carry on and Halifax cleared the danger.

A second Halifax try after 67 minutes from replacement prop Richard Thomas sealed the defeat as Kendal lost their lineout ball, a glaring failing throughout, and from the driving maul, Thomas burst through on the blindeside from five metres, Sanft converting.

Kendal failed to take a couple of promising openings because of a poor final pass, but Simon Mulholland almost created a sensational 79th-minute try when he pulled off two audacious sidesteps on a 40-metre dash up the middle and then released Mark Bowman, who wrong-footed another tackler but was just held under the posts.

The game ended scrappily with Halifax showing a physical edge to their close-quarter play and Kendal, on the whole, maintained good discipline in not reacting.

The late penalty from Stephens massaged the scoreline for Kendal, who gave the impression they might have pulled off a surprise victory if they had got their backs into the action more successfully.