IT will be interesting to see if numbers swell in the Bargoed Supporters’ Club over the coming months.

The club recruited well over the summer, boast a formidable pack, have made a strong start to the season and look poised for a tussle with Swansea in the battle for the Swalec Championship title.

Yet they don’t have an A Licence, meaning that top spot will not result in promotion to the Principality Premiership.

Still, Bargoed won’t lack motivation and are pencilled in to host the Whites in what could be a cracker on March 28. One imagines that the hosts will be cheered on by some supporters whose team needs a helping hand.

The Premiership season is just three rounds old yet it’s not too early to be uttering the ‘R’ word.

Neath and Bridgend are yet to get off the mark while there were relieved Newport celebrations when they got up and running with a narrow win at Ebbw Vale last weekend.

History counts for nowt in the battle against the drop, no points are awarded for past scalps of touring teams or photos of past internationals proudly hung up on clubhouse walls.

Swansea paid the price for getting the balance between developing young talent and bagging points wrong over the past few seasons.

They managed just five wins and 32 points last term with a late charge leaving them a solitary point behind both Neath and Aberavon. In 2012/13 they propped up the Premiership with three wins and 19 points.

It wasn’t nice to see the Whites, who traditionally play expansive rather than attritional rugby, drop down but relegation is a necessary evil.

Jeopardy is needed for both the Premiership and the Championship to thrive and the notion of ring-fencing was swiftly dismissed by Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Roger Lewis at the launch of the Premiership.

Unfortunately for Bargoed it’s essential that teams hit certain standards to gain entry to the top flight but they also need to hit them on the field to stay in it, which will lead to some nervy months for a handful of clubs.