IT'S crunch time for Penryn Rugby Club.

If they are going to avoid the drop from Western Counties West this season, coach Paul Trevaskis has described Saturday's basement battle at Saltash as a "must-win" game.

The players are battered and bruised after an unprecedented three games in four days over the holiday weekend, with wins against Old Dunstonians and Tiverton followed by a heavy defeat at league leaders Kingsbridge on Monday.

The Borough beat Tiverton 11-10 on Saturday, but the visitors had a penalty chance in the dying seconds which flew wide of the posts.

"I watch everything, but Benji Thomas couldn't watch it at the end," said Trevaskis.

"They had the wind in the second half and we couldn't get out of our half, but thankfully the wind blew the kick off course. We've had some bad luck this season but it was our turn to get a break."

At Kingsbridge they finished with 13 men after injuries forced them into having uncontested scrums in the latter stages.

"The boys are pretty sore - I can't imagine professional teams would ever play three games in four days, but that's another story," he added.

So to Saltash, who have recently replaced Penryn at the bottom of the table. They lie five points behind Borough and defeat for them on Saturday will almost certainly condemn them to relegation.

"It's a cup final, a must-win game for us. We have to get on a roll and try and drag some of the teams above back to us. The spirit of the boys is good but there is a lot of pressure on the remaining games."

Despite the manic weekend schedule, none of the players have sustained lasting injuries, so there should be a full complement to pick from. They're are going to need them.