Category Archives: Ebbw Vale Rugby

Ebbw Vale RFC were proud recipients of two awards at the annual Principality Premiership presentation evening in Cardiff last week.

Toby Fricker, in his first season with the Steelmen took the prize as the Most Promising player, following some outstanding performances throughout the year. The medical team were joint winners of the Unsung Heroes award, along with the counterparts at Bargoed, Newport and Aberavon, for their lifesaving interventions off the field at matches this year.

Everyone at ECP is rightly proud of our prizewinners, and sends congratulations to all those rewarded this year.

The club is delighted that winger Toby Fricker has been selected in the Wales Sevens Squad for the forthcoming Rugby Europe Tournament in Moscow. The Squad will depart on Thursday 17th May and return on Monday 21st May.

Congratulations from everyone at Ebbw Vale RFC!

There’ll be a night of drag and frolics at Ebbw Vale RFC on 29th June, complete with two artistes, food and a late night disco.

Contact Karl on 07852 216123 or speak to any member of the Ebbw Addicts committee for tickets.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL ADULTS*

Our annual club dinner and presentation evening will take place on Friday 15th June commencing at 7.00pm.

The evening will consist of a 3-course meal as well as the presentation of the club awards.

Cost per person will be £25.
Tables of 10 can also be booked to the event.

To book your place at the club dinner contact

Andrew on 07766490358 or
email: ebbwaddicts@yahoo.com

You can also book places at the event at today’s match against Bedwas.

All tickets to be paid for before Friday 8th June

We are extremely grateful to our friends at Ebbw Vale Cricket Club for agreeing to accommodate us by moving a Youth Team fixture on May 9th, when we play Merthyr, and allowing us to play Bedwas on May 6th.

The Bedwas game will kick off at 2:30 pm while the start time for Merthyr has yet to be confirmed.

Our away game at Cross Keys has now been agreed for May 15th, kicking off at 7:15pm at Pandy Park.

Please read the following message from Josh James, our young tighthead prop, who has taken the decision to retire from the game:

“After several concussions and speaking to the experts and my family I have decided to retire with my good health at the ripe old age of 22.
I would like to thank Ebbw Vale RFC for giving me the opportunity to play Premiership rugby. It has been my absolute pleasure to have played with this fantastic group of players, I am gutted I will not play my part along side them on the playing field.
My family and I would like thank Rhys and Saran for the professional way they have carried out their duties. In my short time at the club I have made lots of friends, players, coaches and Ebbw supporters who are the best in the league,
I would just like to wish Jon Jones, Greg Woods, Martyn Cooke and the rest of coaching staff and everyone associated with this great club all the very best for the future!”

Naturally, everyone at the club wishes Josh every success, and good health, in the future and we hope to see him at ECP where he will always be very welcome.

Saturday’s match at Bargoed was called off at half time following the sudden illness of a spectator. We have received words of thanks to EVRFC medical staff from Bargoed RFC this morning (Sunday) who will also update on the condition of the individual concerned when they are able.
All praise must go the medical staff of both clubs, for their excellent and immediate care, and to the paramedics who attended very quickly.
The clubs will discuss options regarding the fixture with the WRU on Monday.

For supporters of Ebbw Vale and Merthyr rugby clubs, all roads lead to Pandy Park Crosskeys this Saturday afternoon for the semi final of the National Cup (5:15 pm kick off).

The Steelmen will line up as follows:

Dan Haymond, Toby Fricker, James Lewis, Dom Franchi, Steff Thomas; Dai Langdon, Dai Jones; Ross Jones, Rhys Francis, Rob Sevenoaks; Kristian Parker, Lance Randall; Cameron Reagan, Ronny Kynes (capt), Lewis Young.
Bench: Mathew Williams, Joel Harries, Curtis Hicks, Jon Davies, Joe Franci, Sam Ireland, Srdan Makjic, Lewis Dennett

Drovers’ Match Deal
Entrance, Programme, Pint, Meal
Adult £18 Concession £16
Choose meal from: Fish & Chips, Sausage Beans & Chips, Chicken Curry & Chips, Chicken Goujons & Chips
Should you wish to take up this deal, either contact Gina on 01550 721110/ droversrfc@gmail.com prior to the game or tickets will be available at the gate for individuals.

Ebbw Vale and Llandovery have agreed to kick off at 1pm on March 17th. Both clubs were mindful of supporters wanting to watch the Wales v France Six Nations match which begins at 5pm in Cardiff.

It has also been agreed that Ebbw will wear their purple change kit to avoid the confusion that has sometimes ensued when the Drovers and Steelmen both wear their red, green and white jerseys.

The funeral of Paul Russell will take place this Friday, February 9th, at 12 noon at St. David’s Church, Carmeltown, Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, NP23 6PB.

It will be Followed by a reception at The Chapel, Market Street, Abergavenny. NP7 5SD.

There will be a private family burial.

Saturday’s National Cup tie at Bridgend was postponed because the Brewery Field pitch was waterlogged, following very heavy rain. The two clubs will look to re-arrange the fixture as soon as possible. Competition rules state that a rearranged match must be played either during midweek or on a non league weekend, and must take place at least 7 days prior to the next round.

We’ll keep you posted!

R Paul Russell
It is with the deepest sadness that we heard, on Sunday, of the passing of our former Club President, Paul Russell, following illness on Saturday afternoon (20th Jan 2018).
Paul presided over arguably EVRFC’s most successful period, leading the club into the professional era in the 90s, bringing European Cup rugby to Ebbw Vale and enabling local players to grow into Welsh international ones. Those of us that were fortunate to follow the club at that time have fantastic memories to thank Paul for.
His contribution to his home town club cannot be overestimated and will never be forgotten.
Our thoughts are with Paul’s family and friends.

Club president, Mark Powell, pays tribute to his predecessor:

“For those of us who supported Ebbw Vale Rugby Club and Glamorgan County Cricket Club in the years leading up to the advent of professional rugby in Wales, the future prospects looked bleak. We were able to hark back to the days of Denzil, Arthur, Gareth, Glyn, Mike, Phil etc. but the rugby club was struggling and there was not much relief in the summer either. Where was Majid, Don Shepherd and the great names of Welsh cricket?

Onto that stage stepped Paul Russell who, at the retirement of the previous President of Ebbw Vale RFC, with whom I was closely acquainted, took over the mantle of reviving the fortunes of the rugby club. He brought with him the experience of business at the highest level, and wasted no time in involving his brother who, by chance, happened to manage one of the most successful groups in popular music and, between them, they were determined to take Ebbw Vale into the professional era. As if such expertise was not enough they were able to call on the financial acumen of one of Wales’ leading lawyers who, by chance, had been a childhood friend.

Under Paul’s leadership the club began to recruit. By the time the recruitment had finished the dressing room was populated by international rugby players. The principal desire was to recruit locally but by the end we had an Irish international, an English international both on the coaching staff and in the team and we had the Tongan High Commission behind the clubhouse. They were glorious years culminating perhaps in the victory against the European Champions Toulouse and the home and away victories against Toulon. Well before Real Madrid borrowed the title, the Ebbw Vale team, under Paul’s presidency, were Los Galacticos. The results came on the pitch but given Paul’s personality, results were not enough. Ebbw Vale had to be associated with style. The end of season dinner was no longer in the clubhouse but at the Celtic Manor. And who could forget the half time entertainment when, in bitterly cold weather, a supporter was prevailed upon to model the Ebbw Vale strip to appropriate musical accompaniment?

The advent of regional rugby was not something that Paul welcomed. He felt that it would break up the fraternity which had always been part of the tribal rivalry in Wales and he was right. He did not, however, just chunter about this and do nothing. When he felt that Ebbw Vale were being unfairly treated by people who should know better he took steps to remedy this and the result was that when Ebbw Vale played Newport the crowd was reduced by two with the television cameras recording the whole thing.

Paul then turned his attention to the situation of Welsh cricket. It would have been the pipe dream of a madman to think that Cardiff would ever host a test match let alone an Ashes test but Paul’s drive helped the transformation of Sophia Gardens into an International Arena. Consistent with his approach, he would only satisfied, when he took over as chairman of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, if the first test that the ground was to hold was against Australia. It was a resounding success and quite how Paul managed to engineer the last afternoon when on a sunlit evening England’s number 10 and 11 held out against the Australian attack thus enabling England, later in the summer, to regain the Ashes, I do not know but suffice it to say that it was only beaten for the intensity with which the spectators were watching what was going on by the appearance of the aforementioned supporter at half-time in the Cup Match at Ebbw Vale.

Right to the end Paul maintained his love for Ebbw Vale and in particular for the rugby club. It is often said in a cricketing context that form is temporary but class is permanent.

Paul had class, and not just any class but Ebbw Vale class. That made him very special.”

Funeral details to follow