Monthly Archives: October 2016
Read REL’s moving tribute to David Nash, which appeared in last Saturday’s match programme. You can find it on REL’s page, here.
Bedwas and Ebbw Vale have agreed to move their Christmas fixture from the 24th to the 26th of December, with a 2:30 kick off at Bridge Field. This has been approved by the WRU.
Rhys Clarke, Jared Rosser and Will Talbot-Davies featured in the Dragons Premiership Select XV against Ealing Trailfinders in the British and Irish Cup match at Pandy Park, Cross Keys on Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, the Gwent side registered a second successive defeat in the competition, having led for much of the game. Outside half Arwel Robson, a Penallta product now plying his trade with Newport, had a chance to win it with the last kick of the match but it was not to be, giving the visitors – whose Head Coach is Alex Codling, well known to followers of the Steelmen – a 27-25 win.
We have made some changes to dates/times of our home games with Carmarthen and Bargoed, better to fit in with Wales’s Autumn International programme.
The match with Carmarthen will now kick off at 1:30pm on Saturday,November 12th.
Bargoed will visit us on Friday, November 25th, for a 7:30 start. We are very grateful to them for agreeing this change.
Ebbw Vale’s outside half, Josh Lewis, has won this week’s Principality Try of the Week award for his brilliant individual score in last Saturday’s match with Merthyr. In a popular vote via Facebook, Lewis beat other worthy contenders including an excellent team try by Ebbw’s opponents in that match, finished by Rhys Downes.
One veteran Ebbw supporter described Lewis’s score as the best individual try he’d ever seen by an Ebbw Vale player and expressed the view- shared by many others – that it has every chance of being Try of the Season, an award won last year by team mate Ryan Gardner.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here‘s your chance. Be assured, once won’t be enough!
There’s been a shortage of reported witty banter for some time but it was in abundance at Merthyr on Saturday afternoon. We’ve collected a couple of cracking new witticisms and added them to the list that goes back to the 1980s. You can read them here.
Ebbw Vale host Pontypridd tomorrow night (October 12th, 7:15pm kick off) in the first of the season’s Foster’s Challenge Cup matches. Following the pattern they established last season, of using the competition for development, Ebbw include eleven players on permit and give opp0rtunities to some squad members who have not tasted league rugby this season. The team is led, for the first time, by Joe Bartlett.
The team is: Chris Levesley, Tom Watkins, Jordan Howells, Liam Jones, Kier Hughes; Dan Haymond, Ben Ellis; Joel Harries, Nicky Thomas, Joshua James; Joe Bartlett (capt), Max Williams; Blain Meek, Dawid Rubasniak, Josh Jacas.
Bench: Jonny Bowen, Steffan Blackmore, Ross Jones, Christian Francis, Ethan Doyle, Dai Jones, Dai Langdon, Joshua Congreve.
We are extremely grateful to Bedlinog RFC, Beddau RFC, Brecon RFC, Brynmawr RFC, Newbridge RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons for agreeing permits for their players to appear in this game.
Ebbw Vale will play Bargoed, Merthyr and Pontypridd on a home and away basis in this season’s Foster’s Challenge Cup. The admission prices for home matches will be:
Season ticket holders – free
Adults – £7
Concessions – £5
Nigel Davies makes several changes to the Ebbw Vale side that will meet in-form Merthyr on Saturday afternoon. Dan Haymond, Nathan Preece, Chris Thomas, Ian George, Ronny Kynes and Josh Jacas come in to the starting line up with Rhys Clarke moving to number 8.
The team is: Dan Haymond; Chris Levesley, Nathan Preece, Dai Langdon, Jared Rosser; Josh Lewis, Chris Thomas; Ian George, Mathew Williams, Gethin Robinson; Damien Hudd (Capt), Ashley Sweet; Josh Jacas, Ronny Kynes, Rhys Clarke.
Bench:Joe Franchi, Ross Jones, Rob Sevenoaks, Joe Bartlett, Ethan Doyle, Ben Ellis, Jordan Howells, Ryan Gardner.