A gritty, organised second half display saw Ebbw deservedly share the points at second placed Carmarthen on Saturday. The westerly gale affected many aspects of play, with kicking, long passes and lineout throws all subject to the vagaries of gust and swirl. Rhys Jones’s brace gave Ebbw a 6-3 half time lead but, facing the wind in the second half, there were worries that the gap was too small. Quins looked to use the gale and, with Mr English awarding them a string of penalties, began to look to their powerful lineout drive. The only problem for them was that Ashley Sweet and Corey Talbot were in stealing mode and, after 3 or 4 unsuccessful goes, Carmarthen outside half Steff Marshall opted for the posts and levelled 6-6. Ebbw’s forwards now stepped up a gear and controlled the game very well, picking and driving to keep Quins under pressure, with Dave Whiting, Luke Garrett and Dan Hill very prominent. When the hosts did attack, excellent work by Owen Young, Lewis Young and Joe Franchi won turnovers. A late scrum 10 metres out and directly in front of the Quins’ posts saw the Steelmen drive their opponents back. As the front rows popped up, Mr English appeared to signal a potential game winning penalty for Ebbw, but then seemed to reconsider and allowed Carmarthen to clear their lines. In the end, a draw was probably a fair reflection of the game, and credit must be given to all the players for producing an exciting match in such difficult conditions.

The Ebbw Vale squad was:

1) Luke Garrett
2) Joe Franchi
3) Dave Whiting
4) Corey Talbot
5) Ashley Sweet (Capt)
6) Dan Hill
7) Owen Young
8) Lewis Young
9) Matthew Flanagan
10) Rhys Jones
11) Aaron Grabham
12) Dom Franchi
13) Ryan Evans
14) Mike Powell
15) Dan Haymond

16) Joel Harries
17) Mikel Blake
18) Rob Sevenoaks
19) Max Ayling
20) Andrew Waite
21) Dai Jones
22) Lewis Williams
23) Ethan Phillips