PONTYPOOL have now worked themselves into a position where Premiership safety could be just five days away.
Saturday's clinical, four-try win over Glamorgan Wanderers means Pooler have a seven-point advantage over relegation rivals Ebbw Vale.
They head to Eugene Cross Park at the weekend and if they win and deny the Steelmen a bonus point then they are mathematically safe.
It may even be the case that victory is not required to seal the deal – Pooler have the chance to build on their lead when they host Llanelli tomorrow evening and they do so with a spring in their step after ruthlessly disposing of the Wanderers.
It was an excellent and clinical display with everyone playing their part, though three members of the dirt-covered pack could probably feel aggrieved at being pipped by full-back Geraint O'Driscoll for the official man of the match award.
Number eight Morgan Allen was a real handful with ball in hand, flanker Geraint Morris pilfered away at the breakdown and had a huge tackle count while lock Dale Critchley not only smashed into the ruck but ruled at the line-out.
It will delight the Pooler coaching staff that their charges comfortably won an encounter that could easily have been turned into a lottery by the filthy conditions.
Any number of players could have been captured caked in mud like Fran Cotton in the famous photograph from the Lions tour of 1977 and the squelching of boots in the quagmire was the soundtrack of the afternoon.
In horse racing parlance the going was heavy, but the Wanderers tackling was soft in an opening half hour that did wonders for Pooler's confidence.
Getting off to a good start was always going to be important in such conditions and the hosts got off to a flier.
They scored their first try after just two minutes and scored their third on 24 minutes to build an advantage that always looked beyond the Wanderers.
“We focused on coming out all guns blazing and we set the tone early,” said head coach James Chapron. “It was really important to get on the front foot and we did the same in the second half.
“That start gave us something to hold on to and we showed great control. Even though they had a lot of ball we dictated where they played.
“We have worked really hard on our defence and this was the first 80-minute performance – they didn't look like cutting us open at all.”
Pooler kept the visitors all wrapped up but it was a completely different story at the other end where the Wanderers looked every bit a side that had lost their previous eight league games.
There defence was shocking and there wasn't even two minutes gone when Ospreys-bound number eight Allen had found it far too easy to break through from the back of a scrum and any one of three supporting runners could have run in the opener. It was scrum-half Calwyn Morgan who got the honour.
Full-back Geraint O'Driscoll converted superbly and the Wanderers were then limited to a Scott Sneddon penalty after Pooler had defended well from a five-metre lineout.
That tenacity in defence wasn't replicated at the other end and centre Chris Macey was put in in the left corner by Morgan on 18 minutes, swiftly followed by wing Steve Taylor from 50 metres after some appalling tackling (if it could be called that).
Sneddon knocked over another penalty but was short with another two efforts. Pooler may have felt the pressure had the Premiership's top points scorer been successful from the tee but a dramatic comeback never seemed likely with the score at 21-6 at the break.
Pooler started the second half well with replacement lock Sam Pailor, flanker Mike Barber, Allen and Morris all bursting through but (at long last) the Wanderers' displayed some determined scramble defence.
The visitors then started to ask some questions of the Pooler defence but the hosts were patient and disciplined, picking their moments to pile in at the breakdown and forcing the Wanderers into errors.
After 70 minutes, with the win in the bag, Pooler upped the effort to turn four points into five.
They pummelled away at the line before the moment finally came on 76 minutes, Taylor hitting the line at speed and at a nice angle to barge his way over.
There may well be some twists and turns to come in the relegation duel but Pooler have got themselves into a marvellous position.
Pontypool: G O’Driscoll, S Taylor (N Powell 77), C Macey, P Price, D Connolly, S Mills, C Morgan (J Evans 77), J Jeune (L Davies 68), C Attwell (R Buckley 68), N Blake, R Bowen (S Pailor 40), D Critchley, G Morris (captain), M Barber (J Sollis 77), M Allen.
Scorers: tries – C Morgan, C Macey, S Taylor (2); conversions – G O'Driscoll (3)
Glamorgan Wanderers: D Fish, S Cullen (R Lock 63), S Rosser, R Wardle, O Marshall, S Sneddon (captain), T Rowlands (H Allen 40), N Trevett, I Davies, M O'Leary, T Evans, J Barley (S Briton 50), A Luff, A MacDonald, C Kimber (R Beddows 56).
Scorers: penalties – S Sneddon (2)
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (WRU)
Argus star man: Dale Critchley
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here