Two superb strikes from Zidan Sutherland and Louis Samuels secured victory over Coton Green at Butlin Road.
The opening period in particular had seen few clear cut opportunities for both sides, but the game opened up a little after the interval with the two inspired finishes giving Town only their second home league win of the calendar year.
With now-departed club captain Jamie Ashmore declaring himself unavailable at short notice, there was one change from the side that had demolished Highgate 12-1 earlier in the week with the four-goal hero from the bench that day Ryan Boothe in for only his second start of the league campaign.
The visitors made the brighter start though, and it was Owen Watkins that was at the heart of most of their attacking threat.
He was almost in behind the Valley defence early on, but keeper Ash Bodycote was out quickly to deal with the situation, and then he sent a speculative shot from distance well off-target.
The Greens also had had an appeal for a penalty turned down after one-time Rugby favourite Loyiso Recci appeared to have been pulled in the box, before Watkins was back in the thick of the action again when his teasing cross was cut-out by Jake Wormleighton.
For the hosts, Sutherland dragged one wide after his initial effort had been blocked, with another Sutherland volleyed effort finding the keeper's arms after Aaron Nuttall had taken advantage of space out on the left to deliver in a decent cross.
Coton keeper Brandon Bache then just managed to claw away a threatening Hisham Chiha corner, before the final significant chance of the first-half saw Brad Mansell put in a poor effort wide from a good position after James Henry had picked him out with a cross.
The visitors again were the better team from the restart, with once more Watkins emerging as the main protagonist. He was soon teasing one ball across the face of Bodycote's goal, before firing in a shot from the edge of the box which fortunately Chiha took the pace off before it ended up nestling in the Town's keeper's arms.
Watkins also flashed in a corner before having another on-target shot deflected to safety - this time by the head of Ryley Nicholson. Wormleighton then headed away two threatening deliveries into the box, as Coton Green continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock.
It was, therefore, against the run of play when Valley edged ahead on 63 minutes, when O'Sullivan chipped the ball through to Sutherland, who controlled it well on his knee before turning neatly and dispatching a first-time volley past Bache and into the bottom corner.
Rugby looked to immediately extend their advantage, with Sam Tye bursting onto a loose ball to lay it on to Nuttall, who curled one wide.
At the other end, Henry and sub Ross Evans combined well to set Watkins up for a decent chance, but he shot wide, with Evans then blazing one way over and Watkins having a further strike blocked.
Rugby then enjoyed their best spell of the match as they looked for a crucial second goal. with Sutherland having a shot blocked on the edge of the box, and a Rivel Mardenborough pull-back was hastily cleared away for a corner.
Town's second on 79 minutes resulted from their energetic high press, which ultimately saw Chiha poke the ball through to Samuels to exquisitely curl home from an angled position.
Samuels volleyed a further effort wide, and Nuttall's low cross-shot lacked the power to trouble Bache, before the visitors almost pulled one back from Evans' curled free-kick out wide which saw O'Sullivan stop Mansell's resulting header on the goal-line and then both Henry and Jonathan Letford just unable to force in the loose ball.
Letford should have done better with a close-range header to Mansell's cross from the right, and likewise for Samuels' wayward strike from twenty yards after he had initially done well to open himself up an opportunity.
So it was another much-needed three points and a welcome clean sheet for Town, although Bodycote's dropping of a deep cross from Andrews late-on almost ruined the latter - but O'Sullivan was on-hand to clear the resulting danger.
