Centre Deon Smith, right-wing Matthew Powell and hooker Peter Lloyd scored the Championship leaders’ tries with play-maker Matthew Jarvis successfully converting two and landing three penalties for a 13-point haul.
Ystrad had taken the lead inside four minutes with a spectacular score from their half. They broke away and the ball went through numerous hands before scrum-half Callum Phillips was in support to cruise over for the try. Outside-half Rhys Truelove converted and they were 7-0 up.
Pooler had a try from skipper Scott Matthews disallowed for obstruction but Ystrad centre Cole Morgan, the son of Wales international Craig Morgan, was sin-binned for foul play.
Fourteen-men Ystrad were under the cosh and something had to give. It did at the end of the opening quarter as a move culminated in Pontypool full-back Geraint Walsh putting centre Deon Smith over for Jarvis to convert to level matters.
Pontypool had Lloyd binned for a deliberate knock-on but still managed to move ahead for the first time with Powell making an outside break before lunging for an unconverted try to lead 12-7.
Ystrad quickly responded with a successful penalty from Truelove to reduce the arrears to two points at the end of an all-action half.
Jarvis and Truelove exchanged penalties early in the second half. Ystrad upped the tempo and Truelove put them back in front by a point with a sweetly-struck penalty.
It didn’t last long, however, as Jarvis put a penalty into a corner, Pontypool won the line-out for Lloyd to be driven over, Jarvis converting for a 22-16 advantage.
They lost a third player to the bin with wing Amosa Nove this time guilty of a deliberate knock-on but it didn’t prevent Jarvis putting over another penalty for a nine-point buffer before wrapping it up with the final kick of the clash.
Ystrad Rhondda: J Williams; K Williams, M Rowley, C Morgan, A Webber; R Truelove, C Phillips; T Foulkes, L Wiggins (capt), J Pritchard, N Hughes, G Davies, M Roderick, J Llewellyn, K Jones.
Subs: C Dawe, C Evans, M Burgess, R Dauncey, J Harris, C Green, C Davies, N Jones.
Try: Phillips; con: Truelove pens: Truelove (3).
Pontypool: G Walsh; M Powell, D Smith, J Mahoney, A Nove; M Jarvis, D Jones; K Best, P Lloyd, K Williams, I Jones, A Sweet, M Herbert, C Davies, S Matthews (capt).
Subs: D Hughes, D Kelleher-Griffiths, T Piper, O Leonard, D Langdon, D Thomas, G Price, A Brown.
Tries: Smith, Powell; cons: Jarvis (2); pens: Jarvis (3).
