Category Archives: Ebbw Vale Rugby
The Steelmen look to return to winning ways when they make the trip to North Wales to face Ceri Jones’ RGC team in what is sure to be a tough, physical battle. The Steelmen came out on top earlier in the season when they beat RGC 26 – 10 at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
Jason Strange has made a number of changes to the team for the game with Jordan Thomas returning on the wing following injury and exciting young prospects Ewan McIntyre and Ben Main starting in the back row alongside Alex Howes. Joe Franchi continues to captain the side. Replacements will be confirmed before kick off
The Ebbw Vale starting XV is as follows:
- Morgan Richards 14. Carrick Mcdonough 13. Ethan Phillips 12. Dom Franchi 11. Jordan Thomas 10. Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1. Morgan Davies 2. Joe Franchi 3. Harry Drane 4. Dylan Bartlett 5. Curtis Gregory 6. Ewan McIntyre 7. Ben Main 8. Alex Howes
Replacements are from: Rhys Francis, Ieuan Morris, Luke Garrett, Adam Court, Owen Hatherill, Lewis Young, Jakub Malecki, Kobi Rees, Rory Harries, Kieran Meek, Ewan Bowden and Amir Jiwa-Walji
Ebbw Addicts
The Addicts are leaving the Welfare at 8.45am. The Welfare will be open from 8.00am for breakfast before leaving for RGC.
For those making their own way to North Wales, the address is: Parc Eirias, Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy LL29 7SP
Ebbw’s unbeaten home run comes to an end
Cardiff brought the Steelmen’s unbeaten home run this season to an end on a cold winter’s day.
The home side took the lead early on through an Evan Lloyd penalty. However, the visitors soon brought the game level through outside half Harrison James.
The Rags were reduced to fourteen men just before the half hour mark, after flanker Nathan Hudd was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes.
With the home side trying to get a foothold in the game, scrum half Jon Evans saw a gap in the away sides defence. With a two man overlap outside him, the experienced scrum half decided to go alone. However, the play came to nothing.
With no further scores being added to the scoreboard, the referee Ben Breakspear blew his whistle to make it all square at half time.
Half Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 3 Cardiff RFC 3
The hosts were soon back in front shortly after the restart, after marksman Lloyd was successful with a penalty.
The away side soon drew level again with a penalty. However, Lloyd was again on hand to kick his third penalty of the afternoon to put Ebbw back in front.
Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange started to make the changes and replaced props Harry Drane and Morgan Davies with Adam Court and Luke Garrett.
The first try of the game was scored by the away side. A breakthrough the defence by the Rags centre and offload led to the ball being passed to replacement scrumhalf Jamie Hill, who went over out wide. The visitors were unable to add the extra two points.
The hosts coach Strange made further changes. Winger Amir Jiwa Walji was replaced by Ewan Bowden, forwards Ewan McIntyre and Kobi Rees replaced Cameron Regan and Owen Conquer, Rory Harries came on for Jon Evans, hooker Ieuan Morris replaced Joe Franchi and Kieran Meek replaced centre Dom Franchi.
With Cardiff having the momentum and a scrum in the Steelmen’s twenty-two, quick possession from the scrum saw the home defence hold tight. Quick recycling of the ball, saw it land at the hands of Ethan Phillips, who powered through the defence and over the try line to extend the visitors lead. Jacob Lloyd successful kicked the conversion.
Deep into injury time the away side scored their third try of the game. From a driving maul in the Ebbw twenty-two, the ball went through the hands and out wide to winger Dewi Cross who crossed for the final points of the game.
Full Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 9 Cardiff RFC 23
Ebbw Addicts Man Of The Match: Dom Franchi
Scorers :Penalties: Evan Lloyd (3)
Ebbw Vale’s next game is away to RGC on Saturday 13th January 2024 at Park Eirias, with kick off at 14:30.
Written By Alex Kinsella-Evans
Ebbw Vale RFC play Cardiff RFC for the 3rd time this season when they entertain them at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium. The Steelmen will be looking to make it 3 wins in a row against Cardiff having beaten them in the league 36-20 at the Arms Park in September and 27-15 in the Premiership Cup in December at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
Jason Strange makes several changes to the Steelmen squad with Amir Jiwa-Walji and Jon Evans returning to the starting XV in the backs, while Morgan Davies and Cameron Regan start in the pack. Ewan Bowden, Kieran Meek, and Adam Court return to the squad on the bench.
The full Steelmen squad is:
15 Morgan Richards 14 Carrick Mcdonough 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Amir Jiwa-Walji 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1 Morgan Davies 2 Joe Franchi (CAPT) 3 Harry Drane 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Owen Conquer 7 Cameron Regan 8 Alex Howes
Replacements
16 Ieuan Morris 17 Luke Garrett 18 Adam Court 19 Ewan McIntyre 20 Kobi Rees 21 Rory Harries 22 Kieran Meek 23 Ewan Bowden
The match sees both Evan Lloyd and Jon Evans pass 50 games for the Steelmen.
Ebbw Vale RFC would also like to wish Harry Rees-Weldon the best of luck with the Wales U20s squad this weekend.
Match Details
Ebbw Vale RFC v Cardiff RFC
Saturday 6th January
Ciner Glass Community Stadium
Kick Off 2.30pm
Match Day Tickets
You can purchase tickets for the game at the following link: https://www.evrfc.co.uk/product/6th-january-ebbw-vale-v-cardiff-rfc/
Ebbw do the Double Over Ponty
Jason Strange’s team put in a terrific last twenty minutes to make the unlikeliest comeback possible against a fully committed Pontypridd team.
The away side made a fast start. From a strong rolling maul, co club captain Joe Franchi touched down inside the first ten minutes to score the games first try. The league’s top points scorer Evan Lloyd was unable to add the extra’s.
Ponty hit back straight away. A miss-pass by the hosts number ten Ben Burnell inside the Steelmen’s twenty-two saw winger McCauley Rowley go over the line to score the home side’s first try of the afternoon. Full Back Josh Phillips added the two points to put his side into the lead.
Pontypridd extended their lead further when from a grubber kick in the centre of the field, an awkward bounce of the ball, saw the covering defence beaten. Home winger and ex Ebbw player Liam Lloyd collected the ball to touch down unopposed. Phillips successfully kicked the conversion.
The hosts full back Phillips extended his team’s lead to fifteen points by kicking two penalties within minutes of each other.
Against the run of play, the visitors started to apply pressure. Despite running good angles and lines, the away side were unable to score any further points in the first half due to a solid Pontypridd defence holding firm.
Half Time: Pontypridd RFC 20 Ebbw Vale RFC 5
The second half started like the first half ended, with the away side spending time in Ponty’s twenty-two. Again, good defence and turnovers of the ball resulted in the home side ensuring no further points were initially scored.
Ebbw Vale coach Strange, started to ring the changes. Scrum half Rory Harries was replaced by Jon Evans, Prop Morgan Davies came on for Luke Garrett and Kobi Rees replaced Lewis Young.
The home side extended their lead to twenty points within minutes. A kick through from the halfway line saw the ball evade the Steelmen’s defence. Pontypridd winger McCauley collected the ball, drew the last man and sent centre Ryan Wilkins over to score the hosts third try of the game. However, on this occasion Phillips missed the conversion.
With the away side having nothing to lose, the forwards started to take the game to their opponents. Despite being inside the home side’s twenty-two, experienced scrum half Jon Evans saw the space out wide and threw a pass to winger Carrick McDonough. With plenty still to do the winger side stepped his opponent and sped over the line to score Ebbw’s second try of the game. Fly half Lloyd successfully added the two points.
Further changes to the Ebbw Vale side saw hooker Joe Franchi replaced by Ieuan Morris, Prop Harry Drane came off for Owen Hatherill, Ewan McIntyre came on for Owen Conquer and the final substitution saw centre Dom Franchi be replaced by Amir Jiwa-Walji.
With ten minutes left in the game, the visitors turned the game on its head. With an improvement in the lineout, the forwards set up an unstoppable rolling maul, ending with replacement Ieuan Morris touching down. Number ten Lloyd kicked the conversion to bring the game to within a score.
Within five minutes the decisive try was scored. With the grit between their teeth, the Ebbw forwards kept applying pressure and nearly scored themselves. Just short of the tryline and at the ruck, experienced scrum half Jon Evans saw a gap and dived over to score a well taken try and the away side’s forth try of the game. Lloyd added the two points to put the Steelmen one point ahead.
However, the drama had not finished there. From a penalty at the scrum inside the visitor’s half, Pontypridd full back Phillips stepped up with only minutes left. On this occasion the kick went wide and Ebbw saw out the game to come away with what looked like the unlikeliest of wins after sixty minutes.
Credit to both teams, who never gave up and served an excellent final game of the year for both sides.
Full Time: Pontypridd RFC 25 Ebbw Vale RFC 26
Tries: Joe Franchi (1), Carrick McDonough (1), Ieuan Morris (1), Jon Evans (1)
Conversions: Evan Lloyd (3)
After the game we spoke with prop Morgan Davies. Morgan informed the team made a slow start, taking forty minutes to get into the game. Morgan believed the replacements who came off the bench made an impact, and the team picked it up a gear and were delighted to come away with the win.
Ebbw Vale’s next game is Saturday 6th January 2024 at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium against Cardiff, with the kick off at 2:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
The Steelmen play their final match of 2023, when they visit Sardis Road on Saturday to play Pontypridd RFC with a 2.30pm kick off.
The Steelmen will be looking to complete the double over Pontypridd RFC, after victory over Ponty earlier on in the season at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium, where an explosive start to the match saw Pontypridd take a 15 – 0 lead, before the Steelmen took control of the match to come out victors, 38-21. On the last visit to Sardis Road, a late penalty by Kieran Meek gave the Steelmen a 23-22 victory over Pontypridd.
There are just 2 changes to the Steelmen starting lineup with Rory Harries coming into the team at scrum half and Harry Drane starting in the front row. Joe Franchi continues to captain the team at hooker. Morgan Davies and Kobi Rees come into the match day squad, while Owen Hatherill and Ewan McIntyre will continue to look to make an impact from the bench.
The Ebbw Vale team is
15 Morgan Richards, 14 Carrick Mcdonough 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Harry Rees-Weldon 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Rory Harries
1 Luke Garrett 2 Joe Franchi (CAPT) 3 Harry Drane 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Owen Conquer 7 Lewis Young 8 Alex Howes
Replacements
16 Ieuan Morris 17 Morgan Davies 18 Owen Hatherill 19 Jakub Malecki 20 Kobi Rees 21 Jon Evans 22 Amir Jiwa-Walji 23 Ewan McIntyre
EA Travel
The Addicts will be providing transport to the match, leaving the Welfare at 12.30 pm and returning from Sardis Road at 5.30pm.
For those travelling by car, the postcode for Sardis Road is CF37 1HA
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club
The Clubhouse
Sardis Road
Pontypridd
Rhondda Cynon Taf
CF37 1HA
Ebbw Score Seven
The Steelmen served up a Christmas cracker five-star performance to score fifty points for the second Saturday running.
An error by the hosts straight from the kick off saw the visitors take full advantage. With Ebbw unable to keep hold of the ball, some quick play saw the Ironmen score out wide. Merthyr was unsuccessful with the conversion.
Ebbw Vale soon got into their stride. Captain Joe Franchi opted for a scrum after being awarded consecutive penalties inside the away side’s twenty-two. From the second scrum, quick ball out to the backs saw full back Morgan Richards score his first try of the game. Fly half Evan Lloyd added the extra two points.
Further pressure in the scrum inside the away side half saw the hosts win yet another penalty. Outside half Lloyd sent the kick through the uprights to extend his teams lead to five points.
The home side were reduced to fourteen men when winger Carrick McDonough was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes by referee Adam Jones after a chip over the defence saw the Merthyr outside half collect the ball and kick it back downfield. Totally out of character the Ebbw Vale player took out the visiting player late to receive a yellow card.
The Ironmen made their numerical advantage count by exploiting the lack of cover on the wing. Fly half Thompson`s grubber kicked through to touch down unopposed under the posts. The number ten followed up his try with the conversion to put Merthyr two points in front.
With the home side back to fifteen men, the forwards started to apply the pressure. After going through the phases, number eight Alex Howes kept up his good recent run to power over the line to score. Lloyd successfully added the extras.
A well weighted chip over the Ironmen’s defence by the hosts outside half Lloyd, saw winger Harry Rhys-Weldon collect the ball. With a covering defender still to beat, the young winger did well to draw the defender, stay in play and offload to the supporting Ethan Phillips to score out wide. Top points scorer Lloyd superbly sent the conversion through the posts.
Ebbw increased their lead further when from a lineout, quick, crisp passing between the backs saw full back Richards enter the line. With a lot still to do, the full back powered through four separate tackles to touch down for his second try of the game.
Half Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 31 Merthyr RFC 12
The home side came out for the second half determined not to take their foot off the pedal. After being awarded a penalty in the Merthyr twenty-two, captain Franchi opted for another scrum. From the scrum, further quick ball out to the backs saw centre Phillips add to his tally by touching down out wide. Number ten Lloyd was unsuccessful with the conversion.
With the Steelmen dominant, referee Jones showed Merthyr lock Tom Davies a yellow card for ill-discipline. Ebbw took advantage of having an additional man. From the scrum the forwards took the ball forward. After phase after phase and just metres short, scrum half Jonathan Evans threw the ball out wide to centre Phillips. With a man outside him, Phillips darted through the gap to score a hat trick of tries. Sharpshooter Lloyd added the two points.
Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange started to ring the changes. Prop Adam Court was replaced by Harry Drane and captain Joe Franchi came off for Ieuan Morris.
The home side kept up the pressure. From a scrum after a knock on by the visitors, full back Richards scored his third and Ebbw’s seventh try of the game out wide. An excellent conversion from the touchline by Lloyd brought up the fifty points for the hosts.
Steelmen coach Strange replaced scrum half Jonathan Evans with Rory Harries, fly half Evan Lloyd came off for Keiran Meek, Carrick McDonough was replaced by Amir Jiwa-Walji, Ewan McIntyre replaced Lewis Young and Dylan Barlett came off for Jakub Malecki.
Merthyr did not give up, despite the scoreline. Pressure by the away side nearly resulted in the ball reaching the wing, however Harry Rhys-Weldon got to the ball first and the ball went into touch. Discussing with his officials, referee Jones showed the young winger a yellow card for deliberately knocking the ball into touch and awarded the away side a penalty try.
A nasty looking tackle on home replacement prop Harry Drane brought the game to a standstill. However, with the officials believing the tackle was fair, the away side were awarded a scrum. With the ball in their twenty-two and the hosts down to thirteen men due to an injury to inside centre Dom Franchi, the Ironmen put width on the ball. With a two man advantage, Merthyr took full advantage and scored a well taken length of the pitch try through Ex Ebbw player Josh Lewis. Lewis followed up his try by adding the extra’s.
Ebbw Vale final replacement Owen Hatherall came on for the injured Franchi and a rejig to the backline saw forward McIntyre spend some tine out on the wing.
The final play of the game saw Merthyr score their fifth try out wide after taking a quick penalty. However, they were unable to kick the conversion and referee Jones blew his whistle to bring the game to an end.
Ebbw Vale RFC 50 Merthyr RFC 31
Man of the match: Jonathan Evans
Tries: Morgan Richards (3), Ethan Phillips (3), Alex Howes (1)
Conversions: Evan Lloyd (6)
Penalty: Evan Lloyd (1)
After the game we spoke with Ebbw Vale number eight Alex Howes. Alex thought the team dug in deep against a very strong Merthyr side. Alex and the squad knew it was going to be a hard game but did not let their foot off the throttle from the start. Alex was disappointed the team conceded second half tries, however, he acknowledged this was not helped by a reduction in numbers during the game. Alex finished by advising it was a great win for the club, a lovely celebration for Christmas for everyone involved, and Alex and the squad would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
Ebbw Vale’s final game of the year is away against Pontypridd at Sardis Road on Saturday 30 December 2023 with kick off at 2:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
Ebbw Vale RFC vs Merthyr RFC preview
Ebbw Vale RFC face Merthyr RFC in their final home game of the year at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium on Saturday with a 2.30pm kick off.
Ebbw Vale will be looking for an improved performance against the Ironmen following the loss to Merthyr on the opening game of the season in September where a poor first half by the Steelmen led to Merthyr winning the match by 24-17.
Jason Strange has picked a strong squad for the game with Dom Franchi, Jon Evans and Joe Franchi returning to the starting XV. Harry Rees-Weldon and Owen Conquer also return to the starting lineup after representing Wales U20s against Scotland last weekend. On the bench, Owen Hatherill and Ewan McIntyre retain their places following good performances against Carmarthen Quins.
The full Steelmen line-up is:
15 Morgan Richards 14 Carrick Mcdonough 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Harry Rees-Weldon 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1 Luke Garrett 2 Joe Franchi (CAPT) 3 Adam Court 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Owen Conquer 7 Lewis Young 8 Alex Howes
REPLACEMENTS
16 Ieuan Morris 17 Owen Hatherill 18 Harry Drane 19 Jakub Malecki 20 Ewan McIntyre 21 Rory Harries 22 Kieran Meek 23 Amir Jiwa-Walji
During the week we caught up with co-captain Rhys Francis.
Reviewing the season’s opening game, Rhys commented the team started slowly and gave Merthyr a big advantage going into the second half, which unfortunately the team were unable to claw back.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Rhys said the squad are looking forward to it, especially after the close hard fought opening game of the season against them. He acknowledged the squad has come a long way since then and are looking forward to putting things right in front of the Addicts at the Ciner Glass Community stadium this Saturday. The squad are aware the set piece will be crucial, they will have to start fast, the forwards will need to dominate up front, especially as Merthyr have got a heavy pack and ensure the set piece is functioning correctly, if they want to come away from the game with anything.
Discussing this week’s training, Rhys advised the two areas the squad focused on was the maul and edge defence after conceding four tries in the second half last time out against Carmarthen.
As the match is the last home game before Christmas, it will be the annual Christmas Jumper Day at the Welfare.
Finally, Rhys, squad and management would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the supporters, families and friends.
Ebbw Hit The Fifty-Point Mark
The hosts put in a dominant performance to secure a bonus point victory by scoring 8 tries.
The Steelmen came out of the blocks strongly and soon scored their first points of the game. After being awarded consecutive penalties, captain Rhys Francis opted for a scrum inside the Quins twenty-two. Number eight Alex Howes picked up the ball and went over the try lined unopposed to score his sides first try of the game. Prolific points scorer Evan Lloyd successfully kicked the conversion.
The home side quickly backed the try up with another. From a much-improved lineout the ball made its way to winger Amir Jiwa-Walji. A clean break by the winger saw Jiwa-Walji draw the defender and pass to supporting runner Rory Harries, who charged over the line to touch down. Fly half Lloyd again successfully added the two points.
With the home side on top a scrum to Carmarthen on the halfway line, saw a loose pass go into space. Ebbw Vale speedster Carrick McDonough, back playing on the wing, picked up the ball and showed a clean pair of heels to touch down under the posts. Lloyd again added the extra two points.
The Ebbw Vale scrum was dominant. With the away side putting into the scrum inside their half, the referee awarded the Steelmen a penalty. A kick to the corner by Lloyd saw the hosts have a lineout. From which, the forwards set up a maul which resulted in captain Francis dotting down over the line to score his teams bonus point try. On this occasion fly half Lloyd was unable to add the extra two points.
Half Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 26 Carmarthen Quins 0
The away side came out and started the second half strongly. After some decent defending, home coach Jason Strange replaced hooker Rhys Francis with Ieuan Morris.
Carmarthen scored their first try of the afternoon after good play from a lineout. The two points were added successfully to reduce the deficit.
With the home forwards wrestling the ascendancy back, a further penalty from a scrum inside the visitors twenty-two saw the home side elect for another scrum. A huge push by the pack resulted in scrum half Harries scoring his second try of the game and Ebbw Vale’s fifth of the afternoon. Outside half Lloyd successfully kicked the conversion.
Further changes by the Steelmen’s coach Strange, saw second row Jakub Malecki replace Dylan Baartlett and prop Owen Hatherill come on for Adam Court.
The Quins were soon reduced to fourteen men when the referee awarded replacement Garan Williams a yellow card for ill-discipline. This appeared to spur the away side on and they scored their second try of the game. However, flyhalf Wilson was unable to add the extras.
Jason Strange continued to make changes to the hosts. Prop Harry Drane came on for Luke Garrett, Ewan McIntyre came on for flanker Ben Main, who was making his first start for Ebbw and winger Amir Jiwa-Walji was replaced by Ewan Bowden.
The Steelmen scored their sixth try when number eight Alex Howes went on a trademark barn storming run from around the visitors twenty-two line to touch down out wide. Top points scorer Lloyd successfully kicked the conversion.
Ebbw Vale continued their dominance with Curtis Gregory stretching over the line to score the home side’s seventh try of the afternoon. Lloyd again kicked the conversion.
That was to be the outside half’s last action in the game as Lloyd was replaced by centre Dominic Franchi. Inside centre for the day Keiran Meek switched back to his more familiar role of fly half to accommodate the centre.
With replacements being made, the Steelmen pack kept their strong form going, when from a lineout inside the twenty-two, prop Harry Drane did well to score the hosts eight try of the afternoon and take their tally to over fifty points for the game. Meek successfully added the two points.
Credit to the away side, who never gave up and scored their third and fourth tries late in the game to take home a try scoring bonus point from the afternoon.
Full Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 54 Carmarthen Quins 24
Man of the match: Curtis Gregory
Tries: Alex Howes (2), Rory Harries (2), Rhys Francis (1), Curtis Gregory (1), Harry Drane (1), Carrick McDonough (1)
Conversions: Evan Lloyd (6) Keiran Meek (1)
After the game we spoke with double try scorer and scrumhalf Rory Harries. Rory was pleased with the performance the team put in, the amount of tries scored and to come away with the result. Whilst being happy with his own performance, Rory was quick to acknowledge it was a team collective, and praised the team for putting him in the positions they did, particularly from a dominant scrum.
The Steelmen are next in action on Saturday 23rd December when Merthyr RFC visit the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
The match will also be Christmas Jumper Day at the Welfare.
The Steelmen return to league action tomorrow when they entertain Carmarthen Quins at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
The game is the first since the passing of Gareth Howls this week and the club will be holding a minute’s silence before the game to pay respect to the Steelmen legend.
On the field, Jason Strange has made several changes to the starting lineup which sees Morgan Richards return at full back and Ben Main making his first senior start for the Steelmen in the back row. Rory Harris comes into the starting XV at scrum half while Kieran Meek starts at inside centre. Rhys Francis continues as captain of the team.
The bench sees the return of Ewan McIntyre, Owen Hatherill and Ewan Bowden to the match day squad.
Ebbw Vale Team
15 Morgan Richards 14 Carrick Mcdonough 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Kieran Meek 11 Amir Jiwa-Walji 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Rory Harries
1Luke Garrett 2 Rhys Francis (CAPT) 3 Adam Court 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Greogory 6 Ben Main 7 Lewis Young 8 Alex Howes
16 Rhys Francis 17 Morgan Davies 18 Owen Hatherill 19 Jakub Malecki 20 Ewan McIntyre 21 Jon Evans 22 Dom Franchi 23 Ewan Bowden
The club would also like to wish Owen Conquer, Harry Rees-Weldon and Kobi Rees the best of luck as they represent Wales U20s against Scotland this weekend.
Match Details
Ebbw Vale RFC v Carmarthen Quins
Saturday 16th December
2.30pm
Ciner Glass Community Stadium
#SupportTheSteelmen #FeelTheSteel
Gareth Howls
The Club has lost one of its greatest players.
Gareth Howls has left us after a long illness but he will be remembered with admiration, affection by those who played with him and generations of Ebbw Valians who were privileged to watch him. He played as prop or lock for Ebbw Vale, the Barbarians, the Gwent and British Police, Crawshay’s Welsh and the County teams against the All-Blacks and Springboks.
He was Ebbw Vale Player of the Year in 1975, captain of the club four seasons in the Seventies, played four times for Wales A, was a Wales Reserve and worthy of a full cap. He made his debut for his one and only club in September 1965 and retired in 1981 after 608 appearances, a club record.
A Detective Sergeant, Gareth was an outstanding forward and a rugby character and a great tourist whether in Cornwall on the annual end of season tour, in Italy playing as a guest for Zebre or California. His memory will never be dimmed, he really was and remains, one of our greatest. His years of dedicated service to Ebbw Vale was an example to those who follow him in the team today.
Message from Chairman Jon Jones,
Ebbw Vale has lost one of its most iconic players and one of my childhood heroes. Since becoming Chair of the club, I was fortunate enough to spend time with Gareth at a few home games, all he wanted was to see the club doing well and playing quality rugby offering administrators, coaches and players encouragement, whilst at the same time ensuring that we all understood what the Ebbw Vale badge stood for.
The Annual award for Club Captain was changed to the Gareth Howls Captains Award, a tribute to his great presence as a Captain, Leader, and Player and his 608 games for the club will remain for eternity marking his enormous contribution to Ebbw Vale RFC.
All at the club are thinking of Gareth’s wife, Stella and family at this sad time.
The Steelmen March On
Ebbw marched on to the semi-final of the WRU Premiership Cup following a second win over Cardiff this season.
Straight from the get go, the hosts took it to their visitors and after a lengthy period of pressure inside the 22, Evan Lloyd knocked over the game’s first points. The Ebbw scrum was rapidly becoming a difference maker and Lloyd added three more points shortly after.
The scrum has been a strong point this season and Ebbw were well on their way to continuing their unbeaten season at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium when the referee decided to award a penalty try off the back of yet another destructive scrum.
A late change to Cardiff’s line-up saw Harrison James move to fly half and assume kicking duties. Despite missing with his first attempt, he was back on track and closed the gap to 10 points with half an hour gone.
The last score of the half belonged to the Steelmen, who combined some fine handling skills amongst the backs that saw Ethan Phillips dart around the defence to grab Ebbw’s second of the day.
HT: Ebbw Vale 20-3 Cardiff
The Blue and Blacks came out of the blocks quickest, with Jason Strange’s men struggling to keep up in the third quarter. Tries from Alun Rees and replacement prop Eddie Drake bringing them back within five points.
The tension was almost unbearable at this point, but the supporters in green, red and white got behind their team one more time to push them to a game winning drive. Jon Evans’ beautifully weighted kick was pounced upon by Amir Jiwa-Walji, who had already made one devastating break just minutes prior, who raced over to score for the Steelmen.
Evan Lloyd’s successful conversion was to be the final score of the game and the hosts marched on to their first semi-final since 2018. The opponents will be one of Llandovery, Swansea or Merthyr.
FT: Ebbw Vale 27-15 Cardiff
Scorers: Tries: Ethan Phillips, Amir Jiwa-Walji, Penalty Try
Cons: Evan Lloyd (2) Pens: Evan Lloyd (2)
The Steelmen return to league action on Saturday 16th December with the visit of Carmarthen Quins to the Ciner Glass Community Stadium with a 2.30pm kick off.
Thanks to Rob Rees for writing the report for this match
Ebbw Vale entertain Cardiff RFC at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium in the Quarter-Final of the WRU Premiership Cup on Saturday with a 2.30pm kick off.
The Steelmen beat Cardiff in the Indigo Premiership earlier in the season with a 36-20 victory at the Arms Park in September with a dominant forward display which led to 4 tries being scored by half time. The Steelmen will look to repeat that form against Cardiff RFC in what will be a tough encounter in the Premiership Cup.
Jason Strange has picked a strong, experienced team for the game with the likes of Rhys Francis, Luke Garrett and Cameron Regan returning to the starting line-up.
The full Ebbw Vale squad for the match is:
15 Carrick McDonough 14 Harry Rees-Weldon 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Amir Jiwa-Walji 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1 Luke Garrett 2 Rhys Francis (CAPT) 3 Adam Court 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Cameron Regan 7 Lewis Young 8 Alex Howes
The bench will be finalised before kick-off on Saturday from the following players:
Ieuan Morris, Morgan Davies, Harry Drane, Jakub Malecki, Owen Conquer, Kobi Rees, Rory Harries, Kieran Meek and Morgan Richards
Reminder that this is an all pay game.
Come along and make some noise as the Steelmen attempt to reach the semi-finals of the Premiership Cup. The game kicks off at 2.30pm at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
We look forward to seeing you there.
#SupportTheSteelmen #FeelTheSteel
Ebbw Suffer Away Loss
The Steelmen travelled to Aberavon for a midweek game in freezing weather conditions but were unable to come away with any points.
The visitors started on the front foot, which saw them enter the hosts twenty-two on plenty of occasions. However, despite their best efforts, handling errors led to the away side not being able to take advantage of their territorial supremacy.
On the twentieth minute, Ebbw made their territory count. With an Aberavon player not rolling away, the away side were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. Captain Joe Franchi opted for the scrum. From the base of the scrum, experienced number nine Jon Evans darted towards the try line. Not held, the scrum half got back up but was thwarted close to the try line. Young back rower Owen Conquer picked the ball up and dived over the line to score the games opening points. Fly half Evan Lloyd successfully kicked the conversion.
With the forwards going through phase after phase, another snipping run by scrum half Jon Evans saw the experienced player offload to Dylan Bartlett. Brought down close to the line, the ball was spilled forward, and the Wizards were able to clear their lines.
From the resulting clearance, the Steelmen were again on the front foot. However, another error led to the hosts being given the opportunity to clear their lines.
After being awarded a penalty just inside the Ebbw Vale half, a fantastic kick by Aberavon outside half James Davies, saw the ball reach the Ebbw five metre line. From the lineout, hooker Cam Lewis come off the back of the maul and charged through a tackle to score the Wizards first points. Fly half Davies was unable to add the extras.
With the home side coming more into the game, some good attacking play by the Wizards, saw the hosts go close to adding to the score. However, good defence by the away side kept it to a two point game going into the interval.
Half Time: Aberavon RFC 5 Ebbw Vale RFC 7
The away side came out for the second half having to make a change. Captain Joe Franchi was replaced by Ieuan Morris.
Within two minutes of the second half the Wizards took the lead. A clever chip over the Ebbw Vale defence by home replacement Scot Delnevo just inside his half, saw the ball caught on the bounce by winger Jay Baker. With plenty to do the winger stepped inside the covering defence and sprinted into the corner to score Aberavon’s second try of the game. Outside half Davies added the two points. An injury to Jordan Thomas saw Keiran Meek replace the winger.
From the restart, an infringement by a home side player gave the Steelmen a chance to reduce the deficit. From the tee, top points scorer Evan Lloyd successfully kicked the penalty to again make it a two-point game.
Ebbw were given another opportunity immediately, after second row Dylan Bartlett caught the ball from the kick off, ran deep into the home side half and fed speedster Carrick McDonough. With the covering defence in attendance, the speedster kicked the ball forward deep into the twenty-two.
The resulting play saw the home side have a lineout inside their twenty-two. The referee awarded a penalty to the visitors after an infringement in the lineout. However, on this occasion Evan Lloyd was unsuccessful with the kick.
Ebbw flyhalf Lloyd was able to make amends with his next penalty after a penalty from the scrum inside the Wizards twenty-two saw the flyhalf put his side one point ahead.
On the fifty fifth minute, the away side coach Jason Strange made changes. Adam Court replaced Harry Drane, Ewan McIntyre came on for Jacub Malecki and Cameron Regan replaced Owen Conquer.
With the hosts starting to steal more and more of the Steelmen’s lineout, a line out win by Aberavon, saw the forwards set up a maul that reach the visitors twenty-two. With the ball passed out to the backs, a kick through by centre Rodrick saw the centre collect his own kick and draw the defence. An impressive inside pass to replacement scrum half Aron Hemmings, saw the young number sprint over the line to score his sides third try of the game. Flyhalf Davies successfully kicked the conversion.
Further line out issues saw the Steelmen lose territory and after a break on the halfway line by the hosts, an offside decision resulted in the Wizards fly half Davies have an opportunity to stretch his team further ahead with fifteen minutes to go. However, on this occasion the outside half was unable to convert the penalty.
Further replacements by Ebbw Vale saw Rory Harries replace experienced scrum half Jon Evans, Luke Garrett come on for Morgan Davies and Chad Thomas comes on for terrific Alex Howes.
A further line out steal from Aberavon just outside the away side twenty-two saw the ball go through the home side backs hands. A well set up overlap saw flyhalf Davies draw the last defender and pass to centre Frankie Jones, who showed his speed to go over unopposed to score the home side’s bonus point try. Davies was unable to add the extras.
With the game going into the final moments, the Steelmen tried to bring the score back to within a score. However, despite going close, good defence by the Wizards, saw the home side hold out for a well-deserved bonus point win.
Full Time: Aberavon RFC 24 Ebbw Vale RFC 13
Tries: Owen Conquer (1)
Conversion: Evan Lloyd (1)
Penalties: Evan Lloyd (2)
Ebbw Vale’s next game is against Cardiff RFC at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium in the Cup on Saturday 9th December, with kick off at 2:20pm.
Jason Strange has made a number of changes to the side to face Aberavon RFC as the Steelmen look to continue their winning run after recent victories over Newport and Swansea.
The Steelmen bring in Evan Lloyd and Jon Evans at half backs while Joe Franchi returns to the starting XV as captain.
It is new look back row, with exciting youngster Owen Conquer starting at 6 alongside Lewis Young and Alex Howes in the back row.
Replacements will be confirmed on Thursday.
Travel Information
The Addicts will be providing transport to the game leaving the Welfare at 5.45pm and returning straight after the match.
For those travelling to the Talbot Athletic Ground, the address is: 39 Manor St, Port Talbot SA13 1AB
Ebbw Vale Claim Another Win
The Steelmen came away with five points after the game was played in crisp weather conditions.
The game started with both sides making mistakes and releasing the pressure off each other, after making in-roads into each side’s twenty-two.
Following an infringement at the scrum by the visitor’s, a kick to the corner by Ebbw Vale outside half Keiran Meek saw the home side forwards apply the pressure. With co-captain Rhys Francis being stopped just short of the line, second row Curtis Gregory was alert and stretched over the try line, to score the first try of the game. Fly half Meek successfully added the two points.
The away side’s first chance of points came when the All Whites were awarded a penalty just inside the Ebbw half, after a forward strayed in front of the kicker. Ex Ebbw Vale number ten Rhys Jones was unlucky to see his kick fall just short of the posts.
With the visitors putting some nice moves together and keeping hold of the ball, flyhalf Jones was given another opportunity to put his team on the scoreboard after the hosts were caught offside. However, the experienced number ten was unable to take advantage.
With Swansea on the back foot and attempting to run from their own twenty-two, referee Simon Mills adjudged an away back to have held onto the ball at the ruck on the halfway line. Ebbw fly half Meek found touch. From the lineout outside the visitors twenty-two, the hosts forwards set up a rolling maul, which saw Ebbw go forward at a rate of knots. The end result saw co-captain Francis touch down to go joint top of the try scoring charts with his seventh try of the season. Meek was unable to add the extra’s.
The All Whites brought themselves back into the game, when from a lineout in the Steelmen twenty-two, they set up a maul. A break down the blind side saw the ball end up in the hands of Morgan Rees to score a well taken try. Outside half Jones added the two points.
Ebbw Vale extended their lead just before half time when a Swansea player was too quick out of the blocks and was adjudged to have been in front of the kicker. Fly half Meek sent the penalty between the sticks to put his side eight points ahead.
Half Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 15 Swansea RFC 7
The home side came out and went straight onto the front foot. A knock on by an away side player in the visitor’s twenty-two provided Ebbw with a scrum in an attacking position. An impressive push by the Steelmen forwards, saw referee Mills award the hosts a penalty. A chip to the corner by outside Meek saw the Ebbw forwards attempt to replicate their try from the first half from a maul. However, on this occasion, they were unable to take advantage.
With the All Whites unable to clear their line, the hosts were not to be denied, however. Centre Dom Franchi was stopped just shy of the try line. Prop Harry Drane was on hand to dive over and score the home side’s third try of the game.
Ebbw Vale Coach Jason Strange started to ring the changes. Hooker Ieuan Morris replaced co-captain Rhys Francis, Morgan Davies came on for Luke Garrett, Jon Evans replaced Rory Harries, Evan Lloyd replaced Keiran Meek, Ben Main came on for his debut after replacing Kobi Rees and Owen Hatherill replaced Harry Drane.
From a penalty inside the Swansea twenty-two, the Steelmen opted for a scrum. After winning the scrum, an unstoppable maul saw referee Mills have no alternative but to award a penalty try to the home side. To add to their misery, Swansea number seventeen Tom Slone was shown a yellow card and spent ten minutes in the sin bin.
The home side made another change, with young number eight Owen Conquer replacing Alex Howes.
A clever kick forward in space by the hosts full back Carrick McDonough, saw the speedster nearly add another try. However, the covering defence just got back to touch the ball down over the try line for a goal line drop out.
With the All Whites on the back foot, an up and under from their twenty-two landed in the arms of Ebbw replacement Lloyd, who passed straight to replacement number eight Conquer. Charging over the halfway line, the young number eight barged straight through four Swansea defenders and was able to offload in the tackle to supporting runner Jon Evans, who went over unopposed. Replacement fly half Lloyd successfully kicked the conversion.
Credit to the All Whites, who never gave up and nearly scored their second try of the game late on when centre Osian Knott passed out wide to winger Morgan Rees, who believed he was in to score. However, referee Mills pulled play back for a forward pass.
The home side finished the game with fourteen men, when in the last-minute replacement scrum half Jon Evans was shown the yellow card for ill-discipline. The away side were unable to take advantage and Ebbw cleared their lines to see out the game.
Full Time: Ebbw Vale RFC 36 Swansea RFC 7
SCORERS
Tries: Curtis Gregory (1), Rhys Francis (1), Harry Drane (1), Penalty Try (1), Jon Evans
Conversions: Keiran Meek (2), Evan Lloyd (1)
Penalty: Keiran Meek (1)
After the game we spoke with Ebbw Vale prop and try scorer Harry Drane. Harry was happy with not only the front five’s performance, but also the team performance. Harry said the team worked on what they practiced during training. He was pleased to get the bonus point win, especially with team’s close by dropping points.
We also spoke with Swansea and ex Ebbw Vale fly half Rhys Jones. Rhys acknowledged it was a tough game. He said the Swansea squad were expecting it to be a difficult game playing away to Ebbw Vale, especially playing in cold weather conditions. He informed Ebbw Vale are a well drilled team, who are going well in the league and cup. Rhys believed Swansea made to many mistakes, which gave Ebbw field position, and they took full advantage.
Ebbw Vale’s next game is away to Aberavon in front of the S4C Clic cameras on Thursday 30 November 2023, with kick off 7:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
The Steelmen return to action today, looking to build on the victory against Newport RFC last weekend, when they entertain Swansea RFC at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium with a 2.30pm kick off.
The Steelmen have made several changes to the match day squad.
It is all change in the front row with Luke Garrett, Rhys Francis and Harry Drane returning to the starting 15, while at half back, Rory Harries and Kieran Meek replace Jon Evans and Evan Lloyd.
Ben Main, the summer signing from Abergavenny RFC, will be looking to make his debut for the Steelmen from the bench.
There will also be a return of a fan favourite to the club today with Toby Fricker being the guest speaker for the pre-game hospitality. Toby played for the Steelmen for 2 seasons before signing for the Bristol Bears. He is currently signed with the Ospreys.
Ebbw Vale Team
15 Carrick Mcdonough 14 Harry Rees-Weldon 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Jordan Thomas 10 Kieran Meek 9 Rory Harries
1 Luke Garrett 2 Rhys Francis (CAPT) 3 Harry Drane 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Cameron Regan 7 Kobi Rees 8 Alex Howes
16 Ieuan Morris 17 Morgan Davies 18 Owen Hatherill 19 Jakub Malecki 20 Owen Conquer 21 Jon Evans 22 Evan Lloyd 23 Ben Main
The 3rd North Gwent and Powys Coaches Forum was held this week at Ebbw Vale RFC where Jason Strange and Mostyn Richards were joined by guest speaker, former Ebbw Vale RFC Head Coach Leigh Jones.Leigh was the head coach at Ebbw Vale RFC during one of the clubs most successful eras in the late 1990s. During this time, Leigh turned the Steelmen into one of the top professional teams in the UK, orchestrating memorable victories against Toulouse and Toulon in European Competition and leading the Steelmen to the SWALEC Cup Final for the first and only time in the club’s history. Leigh then went on to coach Newport Gwent Dragons before becoming head of rugby operations at Hong Kong . He was assistant coach to Eddie Jones with Japan at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and more recently was the general manager at Leicester Tigers working with Steve Borthwick winning the English Premiership in 2022.During the session, Leigh covered many really important elements to coaching e.g. relationships, managing the younger generation in the current game, intensity blocks in today’s coaching sessions and the importance of how we feedback to all our charges. The audience of 22 coaches were actively engaged in the presentation for two hours !The EVRFC Head Coach Jason Strange commented “This was a very professional presentation from Leigh. Basically, he brought to life the current trends in the world game for the coaches of North Gwent and Powys. Leigh’s attention to detail about the current trends in rugby will serve the 22 coaches for a long time and the responses received from the audience evidenced how they found the evening to be so enlightening and inspirational.”The next session for these coaches will be held in January.
Ebbw take the spoils in another Gwent derby
The Steelmen came away from Newport with a hard earned but well-deserved victory, in a game that was played in testing conditions.
Straight from the kick off, playing into the wind, the away side took the game to their opponents. After being awarded consecutive penalties in the home sides half, Ebbw Vale outside half Evan Lloyd successfully kicked a penalty to put the visitors three points ahead.
Three early substitutions for Newport disrupted the home sides rhythm. However, they were soon ahead when from a lineout inside the Steelmen’s twenty-two, the home side forwards set up a rolling maul, which ended with hooker Henry Palmer diving over the line to score the first try of the game. Fullback Carwyn Penny was unlucky not to add the two points when his conversion came back off the posts.
With the away side forwards taking the game to the Black and Ambers, a superb chip inside the home side’s twenty-two by Evan Lloyd out to the wing, saw Ebbw Vale young winger Harry Rees-Weldon catch the ball and cross the line to score in the corner. A terrific conversion by Lloyd from the touch line went over after hitting the inside of the post, to extend Ebbw’s lead further ahead.
Newport soon hit back and retook the lead, when from a lineout inside the Steelmen’s half, the ball found its way out to full back Penny, who saw a gap in the defence outside the away side’s twenty-two. With the defence scrambling back, the full back showed his pace and went under the posts unopposed. Penny successfully converted his own try.
Ebbw Vale marksman Lloyd put the visitors back ahead from a penalty after the referee penalised Newport for ill-discipline.
With the game going into first half injury time, Lloyd further extended the away side’s lead to make it a four-point game going into the interval.
Half Time: Newport RFC 12 Ebbw Vale RFC 16
The Steelmen came out for the second half, like they finished the first half and went straight onto the front foot. With the wind and momentum behind them, Ebbw further extended their lead to seven points within five minutes of the restart, when the visitor’s top points scorer Lloyd kicked an excellent fifty metre penalty.
The Black and Ambers responded immediately with full back Penny successfully reducing the deficit with an excellent penalty into the wind.
Another penalty by the visitor’s marksman Lloyd, saw the lead again extend to seven points for the Steelmen.
The away side were given another opportunity to extend their lead to ten points after ill discipline by Newport gave Lloyd an opportunity from the tee. With the wind behind him, the marksmen successfully kicked the penalty to put Ebbw Vale more than one score ahead.
With the weather continuing to play a part in the game, Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange started to ring the changes. Lewis Young replaced the impressive Kobi Rees, inspiring props Adam Court and Morgan Davies were replaced by Harry Drane and Luke Garrett.
Further ill-discipline by the home side gave the visitors an opportunity to stretch their lead to thirteen points on the seventieth minute. Prolific points scorer Lloyd duly obliged.
The Steelmen’s coach Strange, made further changes with co-captain Rhys Francis replacing the ever-dependable Joe Franchi and Owen Conquer coming on for the excellent Alex Howes.
With just over five minutes left of the game, the away side were reduced to fourteen men when fly half Lloyd was penalised in the Ebbw twenty-two. Running out of patience the referee showed the yellow card, to leave the Steelmen seeing out the remainder of the game one man down.
The hosts with a numerical gain, took advantage when the forwards took the penalty quickly and number eight Ben Roach powered over the try line to score his sides third try of the game. Full back Penny was again unsuccessful with the conversion.
With only minutes remaining, Ebbw Vale coach Strange replaced the reliable Harry Rees-Weldon with Kieran Meek and Rory Harries came on for the industrious Jordan Thomas.
Despite the best efforts of both teams, no further points were added to the scoreboard, leaving the Steelmen victorious after a hard battle in tricky weather conditions.
Full Time: Newport RFC 20 Ebbw Vale RFC 28
Scorers
Tries: Harry Rees-Weldon (1)
Conversion: Evan Lloyd (1)
Penalties: Evan Lloyd (7)
After the game we spoke to Ebbw Vale winger Jordan Thomas. Jordan acknowledged it was always going to be a tough game away to Newport, especially considering the weather was not the best, with the wind and the rain swirling around at the start of the game. Jordan finished by stating the squad were happy to come away with an important victory, after a hard loss to take last time out against Pontypool.
Ebbw`s next game is at home at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium on Saturday 25th of November 2023 against Swansea, with the kick-off at 2:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
Ebbw Vale RFC return to action tomorrow against Newport RFC at Newport Stadium with a 2.30pm kick off.
The Steelmen will be looking to return to winning ways in the Gwent Derby against Newport RFC following their defeat in their last outing to Pontypool RFC.
Jason Strange has made several changes to the team that faced Pontypool and will be delighted with the return of both Joe Franchi and Harry Rees-Weldon to the starting lineup after injury. In the backs, the only change sees Carrick Mcdonough move to full back with the return of Harry Rees-Weldon on the wing. While upfront, it a new look back row with Kobi Rees and Alex Howes making their first starts of the season alongside Cameron Regan.
The full Ebbw Vale squad is as follows:
15 Carrick Mcdonough 14 Harry Rees-Weldon 13 Ethan Phillips 12 Dom Franchi 11 Jordan Thomas 10 Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1 Morgan Davies 2 Joe Franchi (CAPT) 3 Adam Court 4 Dylan Bartlett 5 Curtis Gregory 6 Cameron Regan 7 Kobi Rees 8 Alex Howes
Replacements
16 Rhys Francis 17 Luke Garrett 18 Harry Drane 19 Jakub Malecki 20 Owen Conquer 21 Rory Harries 22 Kieran Meek 23 Lewis Young
Addicts Information
The Addicts will be providing transport to the match tomorrow. They will be leaving The Welfare at 12.30pm and will be returning from the Newport Stadium at 4.30pm.
The clubhouse at Newport Cricket Club which is adjacent to Newport Stadium will be open from 12 noon on match day for food and drink. Everyone welcome.
For those travelling by car the address for Newport stadium is: Newport International Sports Village, Stadium Way, Newport NP19 4PT
Postcode for Satnavs NP19 4PT
Pontypool win the Gwent derby
The Steelmen left Pontypool Park with a losing bonus point, after playing in front of the S4C Clic cameras.
The away side took the game straight to Pontypool. After winning the scrum inside the home side twenty-two, the Ebbw forwards went through phase after phase, before number eight Ryan Jenkins powered his way over the try line. Outside half Evan Lloyd successfully added the two points.
Flyhalf Lloyd was unable to add a further three points from a penalty, after a shot at goal from near the halfway line went wide of the posts.
With the game being played from one end to the other, Pooler soon scored their first points of the night, after number ten Matthew Jarvis successfully kicked a penalty.
The home side scored their first try of the game, when the ball reached Pooler centre Joel Mahoney out wide from a maul. With a lot to do and two men outside him, Mahoney showed his speed and went around the covering defender to touch down. Jarvis duly added the two points. In trying to stop the try, Ebbw Vale number eight Ryan Jenkins pulled up with an injury and as a result was replaced by Chad Thomas.
After winning a rare lineout inside their own half, the Steelmen’s fly half Evan Lloyd put in a superb 50:22 to put his side on the front foot. However, the away side were unable to take advantage, with Pooler winning the lineout and clearing their lines.
With Ebbw Vale having the better of the scrum, referee Craig Evans awarded a penalty to give the away side a chance to level the score. Last year’s club top point scorer Evan Lloyd duly obliged to bring the scores level.
Ebbw scored their second try of the game and the last points of the first half when scrum half Jon Evans collected a high ball on the halfway line. With a lot to do, the scrum half burst through tackles before offloading the ball to the supporting forwards in the Pontypool twenty-two. With the home side defence being stretched, a long back of the hand pass by Ebbw Vale number ten Evan Lloyd out to the wing, saw the home side winger Walker Price knock the ball on. Taking his time to decide, referee Craig Evans adjudged the winger to have deliberately knocked the ball on and showed the player a yellow card. To compound the woes, referee Evans also awarded the Steelmen a penalty try.
Half Time: Pontypool RFC 10 Ebbw Vale RFC 17
The second half started off in the same fashion as the first with the away side dominating the scrum but losing the line out.
Whilst still down to fourteen men, Pontypool hit back. From a line out in the Ebbw Vale twenty-two, the home side forwards played through phase after phase with the Steelmen defence holding firm. However, replacement Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths was strong enough to dive over the line. Outside half Jarvis hit the post after slipping.
The away side quickly added a further three points from the boot of Lloyd, after referee Evans awarded a penalty due to scrum half Jon Evans being upended illegally.
With the Pontypool forwards in the ascendancy, Referee Evans produced a yellow card to Ebbw prop Morgan Davies for not rolling away.
Looking to freshen things up, Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange replaced co-captain Rhys Francis with Ieuan Morris, prop Adam Court came on for Harry Drane and second row Jakub Maleki was replaced by Curtis Gregory.
A rolling maul by the Steelmen forwards was stopped on the halfway line when referee Evans penalised a home side forward for illegally changing their bind. A superb kick into the Pooler twenty-two, saw Ebbw Vale make an unforced error when the ball was not thrown into the lineout straight.
However, from the scrum, referee Evans penalised Pontypool and award a penalty. On this occasion, however, Ebbw outside half Lloyd was unable to add the three points.
Further Steelmen changes saw Kieran Meek replace flyhalf Evan Lloyd, Gethin Williams came on for Lewis Young and Luke Garrett replaced Morgan Davies after the conclusion of his yellow card.
The home side went back in front with ten minutes left to play. After a knock on from the restart on the Ebbw try line, Pooler replacement Ben Moa ran at the away side defence. The forwards again going through the phases, with Alex Grey driving the ball over the line to score. Number ten Jarvis kicked the conversion successfully.
A big push in the scrum from the Pontypool forwards with five minutes to go, saw Craig Evans penalise the Ebbw scrum. Pooler number ten Jarvis was successful with the penalty to put his team five points ahead.
No further points were scored in the final five minutes, in front of a crowd that was estimated to be between two to three thousand.
Full Time: Pontypool RFC 25 Ebbw Vale RFC 20
Tries: Ryan Jenkins, penalty try
Conversion: Evan Lloyd
Penalties: Evan Lloyd (2)
The Steelmen next play away to Newport on Saturday the 18th of November 2023 with kick-off at 2:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
Pontypool vs Ebbw Vale Preview
Second placed Ebbw Vale travel to Pontypool Park on the 2nd of November 2023 to play in front of the cameras against third placed Pontypool, with a kick-off at 7:30pm.
With both teams having won six games on the bounce, Jason Strange’s side will be aiming to keep their good run going but will know that an improved performance from the match against Bridgend Ravens will be required if they are to take anything from the game.
As the two teams have not played each other for some time in the league, the game will no doubt be a fiercely contested derby, with neither side looking to give an inch.
Jason Strange makes several changes to the squad from the game against the Ravens for the Steelmen’s visit to Pontypool.
The Full Squad is:
15.Morgan Richards 14. Carrick Mcdonough 13. Ethan Phillips 12. Dom Franchi 11. Jordan Thomas 10. Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1.Morgan Davies 2. Rhys Francis (CAPT) 3. Harry Drane 4. Dylan Bartlett 5. Jakub Malecki 6. Cameron Regan 7. Lewis Young 8. Ryan Jenkins
Replacements from…
Ieuan Morris, Luke Garrett, Adam Court, Curtis Gregory, Chad Thomas, Gethin Williams, Rory Harries, Kieran Meek and Ryan Davies
Ebbw Addicts Travel
For those travelling with the Addicts, the bus will be leaving the Welfare at 6.30pm.
The Welfare will be open from 5.00pm for drinks and snacks before travelling to Pontypool.
For those supporters making their own way to Pontypool the address is: Pontypool RFC, Pontypool Park, Pontypool, NP4 8AT
Ebbw Vale RFC are delighted to confirm that they have submitted the required expression of interest for membership of the new Elite League.
The club will hold a meeting for members on Tuesday 7th November at the Welfare starting at 7pm to explain next steps and the clubs intentions. There will also be the opportunity for the audience to ask and have answered any questions they may have.
The meeting will be led by Club Chairman, Jon Jones and Head Coach, Jason Strange.
The Steelmen Dig Deep to Win
A last-minute long-distance penalty miss by Bridgend, saw Ebbw win a close fought game by two points on a wet Gwent day.
The home side came out of the blocks quickly. After being awarded consecutive penalties, outside half Evan Lloyd put Ebbw Vale inside Bridgend’s twenty-two. From the lineout, the forwards set up a maul, with co-captain Rhys Francis on hand to touch down within the first ten minutes. Fly half Lloyd was unable to add the extra’s.
However, the away side soon put their first points of the afternoon on the scoreboard, when number ten Luke Price sent the ball through the middle of the uprights after the Steelmen were penalised by referee Jason Bessant.
The Ravens had another opportunity to go in front, when the referee adjudged an Ebbw Vale player had pulled back a Bridgend player off the ball. From by the five-metre line, outside half Price put the kick wide.
Moments later the Steelmen extended their lead. After the away side were penalised for being offside, Ebbw points machine Lloyd successfully slotted the penalty to put his side five points ahead.
With the away side starting to see more of the ball, fly half Price was again on target with his second penalty of the afternoon, after referee Bessant penalised Ebbw Vale for ill-discipline.
On the stroke of half time, the home side were again penalised. From out by the touchline ten metres inside the Ebbw half, outside half Price sent the ball through the posts to give his side a one-point lead going into the interval.
Half Time: Ebbw Vale 8 Bridgend Ravens 9
The Ravens came out for the second half with a point to prove. A clean break through the home side defence in the centre of the pitch saw two players in support. With a draw of full back McDonough and a quick pass to Jordan Collier, resulted in the Bridgend player sliding over the line for the away sides first try of the afternoon. Fly half Price slotted the conversion to put his side eight points ahead.
With both teams conceding possession, Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange made his sides first changes of the afternoon. Forwards Morgan Davies and Harry Drane replaced fellow props Luke Garrett and Adam Court on the fifty first minute.
On the hour mark the Steelmen were given another opportunity to reduce the deficit. Marksman Lloyd duly obliged from the tee and added three points to the Ebbw Vale scoreline.
With the game entering the final twenty-minutes, Ebbw coach Strange made further changes when Rory Harries replaced Jon Evans and Amir Jiwa-Walji came on for Ryan Davies.
However, the momentum swung on the sixty-eighth minute when Bridgend were reduced to fourteen men. Young Ebbw Vale number eight Owen Conquer ran at the Bridgend defence and was tackled high. Credit to all the medical staff, who were on the scene immediately to see to the youngster. Before play resumed, referee Bessant produced a red card to the Ravens replacement Gareth Harvey for the high tackle. Ebbw replacement Alex Howes, returning to the club from Abergavenny, came on to replace the young number eight.
Ebbw coach Strange continued to make the changes with Kieran Meek replacing Evan Lloyd. With the Steelmen in the ascendancy and the referee awarding penalty after penalty, the away side were reduced to thirteen men on the seventy fourth minute. Replacement prop Alex George receiving the yellow card.
The Steelmen emptied their bench with Curtis Gregory replacing second row Jacub Malecki and hooker Ieuan Morris came on for co-captain Rhys Francis.
The home side continued to show their power up front with referee Bessant awarding penalty after penalty at the scrum on the away sides five metre line. In the closing minutes, a huge effort by the pack at scrum time, saw referee Bessant award a penalty try to Ebbw and produce a further yellow card to Bridgend’s number one Harry Olding, to leave the away side play the final moments with twelve men.
A valiant effort by the Ravens just inside the Ebbw Vale half, saw the forwards go through the phases. Referee Bessant awarded the away side a penalty just inside the Steelmen half. With the last play of the game, replacement fly half Paul Short eyed up the posts. With a huge swing of the boot the ball fell short of the posts to enable the home side to kick the ball into touch and claim a hard fought win.
Full Time: Ebbw Vale 18 Bridgend Ravens 16
After the game we spoke with Ebbw Vale forward Adam Court. Adam acknowledged the performance was not the prettiest and believed it was an ugly win. However, he was pleased the team found a way to win the game. Adam finished by informing the squad know they have to improve if they are to come away from the big game on Thursday against Pontypool with a victory.
Man Of The Match: Owen Conquer
Scorers
Tries: Rhys Francis, Penalty try
Penalties: Evan Lloyd (2)
The Steelmen’s next game is away to Pontypool RFC at Pontypool Park on Thursday 2nd November 2023 in front of the S4C Clic camera’s, with kick off at 7:30pm.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans
Ebbw Vale vs Bridgend Preview
Ebbw Vale RFC return to league action against Bridgend Ravens on Saturday 28th October at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium with a 2.30pm kick off.
The Steelmen will be looking to extend their recent unbeaten run against the Ravens in what should be a tough encounter at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium.
The Steelmen welcome back Jordan Thomas to the starting XV after a long-term injury layoff and Alex Howes will be looking to make an impact from the bench on his return to the Steelmen.
Before training this week, we spoke with influential scrum-half Jon Evans.
Looking back at the Neath game, Jon said you can never take a five-point victory for granted. The performance was far from perfect but there were a lot of positives to take from it, especially considering there were ten changes made to the team from the starting line-up against Llandovery. He thought the team dominated the majority of the first half, however, he acknowledged the team need to be more clinical in the opposition twenty-two going forward as the missed opportunities may come back to haunt them against other opposition. This is the same for the Bridgend game, the team just need to be more ruthless.
Thinking back to last season, Jon said the team travelled to Bridgend at a time when they were searching for their first win. He believed the team underestimated Bridgend and did not give them the respect they deserved. Jon is confident that will not happen again this year considering Bridgend are a good team with a good coaching set up and recruited well during the summer but the strength in-depth of the Ebbw squad will hopefully see the team push on in the later stages and make it an eighty-minute game.
Jon expects Bridgend to bring a good kicking game as well as set piece, which was something they used to their advantage last season. This year however, the Ebbw pack has improved significantly under forwards coach Aaron Coundley and he imagines the front five will be looking to make amends.
Finally, Jon thinks the team set piece will be a very important part of the game and they also need to manage the first fifteen minutes of it. There have been several games this year where errors in the first quarter have resulted in the team finding themselves behind early on. As a result, the team need to manage this period and limit the number of errors against Bridgend.
Ebbw Vale Team:
- Carrick Mcdonough 14. Ryan Davies 13. Ethan Phillips 12. Dom Franchi 11. Jordan Thomas 10. Evan Lloyd 9 Jon Evans
1.Luke Garrett 2. Rhys Francis (CAPT) 3. Adam Court 4. Dylan Bartlett 5. Jakub Malecki 6. Cameron Regan 7. Lewis Young 8. Owen Conquer
Replacements from…
Ieuan Morris, Morgan Davies, Harry Drane, Curtis Gregory, Alex Howes, Gethin Williams, Rory Harries, Kieran Meek and Amir Jiwa-Walji
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans