PONTYPOOL dug deep to edge a tight encounter with fellow strugglers Llandovery and snaffle a 13-11 victory that could be all important come May.

It seems ridiculous to be talking about a crucial relegation battle just six fixtures into the season but the two teams produced little to suggest they will be well away from the basement come crunch time.

Which made Pooler’s frantic defence at the death, and it was a lingering one after referee Howard Hopkins somehow conjured nearly 10 minutes of injury time, all the more important.

It was not a convincing performance and the hosts lacked structure beyond the first phase but it is one that yielded four points.

And two crucial defensive stands ensured that; a superb Cae Trayhern covering tackle on wing Ifan Evans yards from his line on 73 minutes and classic spoiling at the base of a five-metre scrum by replacement scrum-half Matthew Thomas to end the game.

“I said in the pre-match chat with the guys that it probably wouldn’t be a pretty game because Llandovery would be fighting for their first win,” said Pontypool head coach Gareth Lintern.

“That was how it turned out, they made the breakdown scrappy and we couldn’t get into a rhythm but we dug in and got the win.

“It was the first time the guys have played against a scrapping side this season and we are learning as we are going along.

“The boys were disappointed afterwards because they want to do better for the fans and the club, but as I said to them it was all about getting the win.”

The importance of the clash clearly wasn’t wasted on the players and it was an afternoon where fear reigned with players preferring to try and boot the leather off the ball rather than risk turning it over or making a mistake.

But one player stood out and once again for Pooler it was inspirational full-back Geraint O’Driscoll. The 20-year-old scored all of his side’s points and was superb until he was helped from the pitch with an injured knee on 70 minutes.

He was measured with his punting while others were aimless and he also proved to be an elusive runner to break the deadlock just after the half hour.

There had been so little attacking quality on show that a 0-0 scoreline had been looking a genuine possibility until O’Driscoll somehow found space down the narrow right flank, chipped ahead and gathered superbly to cross before adding the conversion.

However, that simply served to breathe life into the visitors and a period of pressure was rewarded when good handling put centre Rhys Williams over in the corner, Justin Lewis missing a tough conversion that would prove to be crucial.

But the full-back made no mistake when presented with a simple penalty shot seven minutes after the break and the Drovers led for the first time.

Not for long however, as O’Driscoll added to his tally with penalties on 52 and 65 minutes but Pooler’s composure seemed to go with the departure of their talisman full-back Newport Gwent Dragons centre Tal Selley failed to provide the sort of thrust that you would expect of a regional player and the visitors went on the front foot.

It took flanker Trayhern’s vital tackle to keep the initiative but he was carded and punished with three more points with five minutes of normal time remaining.

The mood was tense as the Drovers attacked and it seemed as thought the side from the west would get their first win of the season when Selley was forced to scramble back and dot down over his own line to concede a five-metre scrum.

But Thomas hustled at the base of the scrum to force the turnover, something he did countless times in the black and amber of Newport,  and then Mr Hopkins blew his whistle.

Wales and Lions hero Graham Price won a bottle of whisky in the raffle. Plenty of Pooler fans wouldn’t have minded a share of the club president’s spoils to settle their nerves after a frantic afternoon at the Park.

Pontypool: G O’Driscoll (T Hancock 70), D Gravell, T Selley, P Price, N Preece, D Phillips, T Edwards (M Thomas 77), J Jeune, L Jones (captain), M Lewis (S Maguire 50), D Cox, K Maiden (M Davis 45), R Bowen, C Trayhern, D Lydiate (N Coughlin 53).

Scorers: try – G O’Driscoll, conversion – G O’Driscoll, penalties – G O’Driscoll (2). Yellow card: C Trayhern.

Llandovery: J Lewis (D Rogers 70), I Evans, S Soul, R Williams, V Jenkins, L Williams (R Evans 40), R Walters, E Howells (A Jones 70), A Yelland (J Littlehales 65), P Edwards, K Davies (T Walker 80), R McCusker (M Harbut 35), I Cunningham (G Williams 70), J Edwards, L Phillips.

Scorers: try – R Williams, penalties – J Lewis, R Williams.

Referee: Howard Hopkins (Blackwood) Argus star man: Geraint O’Driscoll