PONTYPOOL have abandoned their attempts for an injunction on this weekend's play-off game between Caerphilly and Aberavon.

But The Argus can exclusively reveal that the club is now seeking considerable compensation for the financial loss it believes it has incurred because of the fiasco that has dogged Welsh rugby over the last 12 months.

Solicitors Clarke, Willmott and Clarke, who specialise in sport legal cases, have been instructed by club backer Bob Jude to launch proceedings against the WRU.

At the moment the case is in its early stages and hopes are still high of a reaching a compromise, but a spokesman for the group warned they are prepared to take the case all the way to the High Court if an amicable agreement was not reached with Welsh rugby's ruling body.

"We have put Welsh rugby first and do not want to see chaos on the final weekend of the season. That is why we have dropped the case seeking an injunction on the play-off games. Instead we will be seeking financial compensation from the WRU for a breach of contract.

"We believe Aberavon should have been automatically promoted last season. That means we should have won this season and been in the play-off against Caerphilly," Ian Smith, head of the sports sector at Clarke, Willmott and Clarke, revealed.

The club now faces a legal mine field as Aberavon are also in the midst of their own case against the WRU. The High Court decides on July 26 whether the Union was right to quash Aberavon's right to promotion when they won the First Division title last year.

Meanwhile, Pooler are fighting to keep some of their top players. Mike Powell (pictured) has been approached by Bridgend, while Lennie Woodard is being chased by several top-flight sides.