PONTYPOOL flanker Rob Nash says his side are gunning for revenge when they host Swansea in a top of the table Swalec Championship clash this weekend, writes Iwan Gabe Davies.

Third placed Pooler face their second in the league visitors looking to atone for last October’s disappointing defeat to the All Whites.

The S4C television cameras witnessed Nash and his teammates leaving St Helen’s empty-handed after a 22-13 loss.

And the former Cross Keys and Coventry openside made no secret of Pooler’s desire for payback.

“We certainly feel like we owe them one after that match – it was a game we could have and should have won,” he said.

“The boys are really up for it and we had a great training session this week, so it should be an excellent encounter and one we are looking forward to.”

A victory for the hosts would heap pressure on the All Whites, who are nine points ahead of the Gwent side, in the race for the runners-up spot.

Both sides’ hopes of winning the title are remote with no team likely to catch runaway leaders Bargoed.

The unbeaten Rhymney Valley side are hot favourites to win their first Championship title, currently 14 points ahead of Swansea.

Pooler hope for their third success on the bounce after a fine victory at Cardiff Met (30-21) last week, following a 33-17 defeat of Glynneath at Pontypool Park at the beginning of February.

Nash, who led Keys to their 2012 Swalec Cup triumph and rejoined his native Pooler last summer after a stint with Coventry, said: “We are looking to finish the last quarter of this campaign on a real high so we can really look to push on next season.

“We’ve had a couple of good league wins against Cardiff Met and Glynneath after a narrow loss away to Narberth (8-7), but we’ve got to take that good form into the Swansea game.”

There is an equally intriguing battle at the other end of the table where bottom but one Blackwood travel to face basement side Tondu.

Just three points separate the two with the Gwent side comprehensive winners the last time they met, the hosts securing a 41-17 triumph at Glan-yr-Afon Park in October.

Blackwood look to end a miserable losing streak of 11 games and give their beleaguered fans a much-needed boost.

And Newbridge can ease their relegation worries by putting some distance between them and the bottom three when they host Bridgend Athletic.

Their visitors are two places above them in ninth but the Welfare Ground side will fancy their chances because they are on a real roll after winning their last three games.

Their most recent success was a 29-21 away victory at Tata Steel on Valentine’s Day after an equally stunning triumph on the road at Cardiff Met (16-15) and a thumping 30-0 success while hosting Glynneath at the end of January.

The corresponding fixture between Newbridge and this weekend’s opponents ended in a 25-20 humdinger won by Athletic back in October.

Tomorrow’s Swalec Championship fixtures (please check local kick-off times): Bargoed v Glynneath, Llanharan v Narberth, Merthyr v Tata Steel, Newbridge v Bridgend Athletic, Pontypool v Swansea (KO 2pm), RGC 1404 v Cardiff Met, Tondu v Blackwood (KO 2pm).