EBBW Vale have no margin for error when they host Pontypool in a relegation shootout tomorrow afternoon.
Anything other than a win will see the Steelmen relegated for the first time in their history.
They currently trail their Gwent rivals by 12 points, meaning they have three games to achieve something they have not done in their previous 23 – record a four-try bonus point.
And Ebbw could even go down in the unlikely happens and they go try crazy, bagging three maximum hauls. They still need in-form Pooler to fall to defeat against Newport and Aberavon.
But director of rugby Rowland Phillips, the Premiership’s most successful coach after his exploits with Neath, is remaining positive.
He said: “We have been in a must-win situation for a long time now so the approach will be the same. We know exactly what we need to do.
“It has been clear from the time I came here that it would be a shootout between us and Pontypool – the only thing that has changed is our fate is no longer in our control.
“We are trailing by quite a margin, but I am an optimist and the fact is that we can still fight for our position in this league.
“We can only worry about things that we can control – we can’t worry about what Pontypool do or what the teams playing them do.”
All coaches like to look forward but there is still a tinge of regret at Eugene Cross Park about the ones that got away.
“I believe that we have improved as a team but the little things that have not gone our way have made a big difference,” said Phillips.
“We lost to Newport by a small margin, were more than a match for Swansea and could easily have beaten Cross Keys and Aberavon.
“One change of fortune would have made a big difference because, as Pontypool have shown, winning becomes a habit.
“But it is still a positive environment here, I couldn’t work any other way.”
The Steelmen have lost eight games on the bounce but stand every chance of gaining a required win if the whole squad can match the performance of all-action number eight Rhys Williams.
Phillips said: “Rhys is the standout player in this division – there is no better back row forward. He is an exceptional rugby player with exception natural ability.
“Pontypool have a pretty efficient back row themselves and they are a pretty positive team when their tails are up.
“They are playing well and five wins on the bounce tells its own story. They are an all-action, busy team.”
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