Pooler stand proudly at the summit with 12 victories from 12 games and 60 points in the right hand column from 12 bonus points.
But on Saturday they put all those tidy zeroes in the drawn and lost column at the biggest risk when they travel to face second-place Neath.
Their nearest rivals have lost twice so far, and will be underdogs, but a victory for the Welsh All Blacks would take a big bite out of Pooler’s seven-point lead at the top and give Neath real belief for the second half of the season.
Neath coach Pat Horgan says: “There have been a number of close calls on selection but one thing is certain – our 20 will need to produce the season’s best on Saturday.”
Their best wasn’t quite good enough at Pontypool Park earlier in the season, when Neath were edged out, 34-30, but since then they have picked up eight victories in nine matches, with their only other defeat coming away at Bargoed.
The focus for most of the rugby world may be on the Six Nations, but Pooler outside-half Matthew Jarvis believes any re-shaping of the season in the future has to allow big games like this to co-exist with international rugby.
“I think it’s great to be playing at this time of year, it builds momentum and keeps everyone involved rather than having a long break and having to go playing in late May,” says Jarvis.
“Early kick-offs or playing on a Friday night during the Six Nations should be incorporated into the season.”
The fixture is expected to attract Neath’s largest crowd of the season to The Gnoll, but with the home club needing the points more to close that gap, Pooler coach Leighton Jones reckons the pressure is all on the hosts.
“I think the pressure is on them now,” says Jones. “At the start of the season we were at home, I think the pressure is always on the home team in these big games so I think Neath will have more pressure on them than us.
“We’ve been in the position years ago where we were clear and got caught. We’ve learned from the past so we go game by game and this game definitely doesn’t define where we’ll be in the league at the end of the season. It’s just another five points on offer and a win we’ll be going for.”
Bargoed – back in third place – can keep the top two from escaping over the horizon by winning at Beddau, who are down in 10th spot
