Moseley 27 Redruth 13
If the evidence of this drab, lowbrow affair is anything to go by, Moseley's glorious march to promotion could turn out to be something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
Lulled into ennui by the arrival of relatively workaday opponents, the league leaders - and racing certainties for elevation - failed to reward their hardy followers for their commitment to the cause and turned in a listless performance that did them little credit.
But, as they do, Ian Smith's men still managed to find enough cohesion to claim not just the win but a try bonus and, in the process, retain the four-point advantage they hold over second-placed Waterloo.
Which means that with just six games remaining, this was another hurdle safely negotiated; but that's all that could be said for it.
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who will look back on Redruth at home with much collective pride, given that it was another prime example of their tendency to turn relatively straightforward tests into mind-bending exercises, heinous in complexity.
That is not to say there were no decent individual contributions. James Rodwell, Moseley's athletic No 8 with lightning in his boots, put in a very fine hour's work and had the home crowd purring with a couple of telling breaks.
Fly-half Ollie Thomas kicked for position well, if only in the second half, while Neil Mason was, as ever, a brusque nuisance in the back row. It was, however, difficult not to conclude that Redruth's Kiwi centre, Petiai Gidlow, had been by far the best player on the park.
He utterly outplayed his opposite number, Andy Reay, and had he been in the hosts' red-and-black, would have had a field day with some of the turnover ball Moseley purloined.
Not only was he a strong runner with excellent hands, his defence was of the highest order, too. The first-half hand-off that buckled Gareth Taylor's legs was a thing of savage beauty.
But given his side's clear inferiority - Redruth had to play well just to tread water - his impact was necessarily neutered.
The same cannot be said for Rodwell, who was clearly Moseley's best attacking threat. Whenever he touched the ball, the home team were energised.
His support running contributed to the 16th-minute penalty with which Thomas brought Moseley level and his searing break from the base of a scrum on halfway created the overlap converted by Nathan Bressington.
His try, seven minutes into the second period, was not only the score than settled the match but it also confirmed a bright future which some people feel sure lies in the Premiership. As commentators love to say, Rodwell has what you can't coach - searing pace.
He also has a reasonable insight into proceedings and afterwards accurately described how a parlous first-period performance could have derailed Moseley's challenge.
"In the first half, we just did not play to our potential at all. We let them come to us and when we had the ball, we were rushing things too much," Rodwell said.
"But we really set our minds to it in the second half and went out buzzing. We put a few phases together and eventually got the reward we deserved."
Which was two further tries, after his own, for Dean Bick and Mark Evans and a bonus for four scores. Redruth's two tries, from Lewis Vinnecombe and Paul Gadson, came too late to affect the destination of the spoils.
Yet Moseley are so superior to anything in National Two that they do not need to play that well to win games comfortably.
Redruth were neat and up for the battle but had no answer to the extra pace or quality Moseley were able to bring to their game in times of need.
The same should be true of the rest of the season. With Henley, Orrell, Halifax, Launceston and Manchester to play, Moseley should not lose another match this season.
The trip to Barking could prove tricky but, judging by the 47-3 demolition job they did on the Essex side before Christmas, it is a task that is well within their compass. Failure to go up now would make Devon Loch's Aintree cock-up look like a clipped hurdle.
Rodwell admits it's all about what Moseley do between now and April 29: "It is all about our focus," he continued.
"The whole season is in our own hands. If we play like we can play, week in and week out, then we should be promoted - not that I want to even think about that yet."
No-one does. Players, coaches, officials and supporters alike all turn green at the very mention of the word.
Which, perhaps, is why - for 40 minutes, at least - their team is playing as though they want to stay at level three forever. But for the other 40, they look well worthy of a place in National One.
