IT’S CRUNCH time for Pontypool as they bid to cement their Premiership status.

Pooler host second-from-bottom Carmarthen Quins tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 1pm) and then head to basement dwellers Glamorgan Wanderers on February 23.

A pair of wins would pretty much secure their top-flight status but a pair of defeats would put them right back in the relegation mix, regardless of the amount of games they have in hand.

They beat the Quins on their own patch in October and a double would put them 11 points clear of the strugglers. Defeat would let the west Walians close to within three.

Coach Wayne Jones said: “We know the magnitude of this game and if we can win it and then follow up against the Wanderers then the pressure will be off.

“We are confident that we will stay up but we need to get to safety as soon as possible.

“To do that we must beat the Quins and to key to doing that is up front.

“To be honest we were ‘out-grunted’ by them in the first half at their place but we took the momentum away from them after the break.

“We will be faced by the same challenge tomorrow and we have to dominate up front.

“They are a pretty tidy side and they can hurt us if we don’t starve them of possession.”

Pooler, who are only halfway through their league campaign, had another enforced break last weekend as scheduled opponents Llandovery were in cup action.

It promises to be a hectic few weeks as they fit in their fixtures but Jones believes they will be served well by their own cup outing a fortnight ago, a narrow 26-23 victory at UWIC.

He said: “It was a really good win when you look at the other round two results – Neath struggled at Bargoed, Llandovery only just got past Llanharan.

“We scraped through but it was a really useful game for us. The pleasing thing was that the backs looked much better than they did against Cardiff in the league.

“Three of our four tries were scored by the backs and they utilised the possession that was won for them.

“If we can provide them with plenty of quality ball against the Quins then they can cause some damage.”

Geraint O’Driscoll made a welcome return in the win at UWIC, coming off the bench in the second half. The 22-year-old, who can play both fly-half and full-back, will be a key figure over the coming weeks.

“Geraint is a big player for us and he could be an important player in heavy conditions,” said Jones.

“He has a metronomic left boot that keeps the scoreboard ticking.”

Pooler: G O'Driscoll, S Morgan, D Robinson, P Price, G Williams, T Hancock, C Morgan, J Jeune, C Attwell, N Blake, D Critchley, S Pailor, R Bowen (captain), C Trayhern, G Morris. Replacements: O Halford, G Fergusson, M Thomas, T Organ, I Jones, E Buckley, L Davies.

- Pooler will travel to take on Tonmawr in round three of the Swalec Cup after they beat Llanelli 31-8 on Wednesday.