This was, to put it mildly, a game that was affected by the weather conditions. A biting gale from Eastern Europe brought regular horizontal snow showers that made kicking, passing and line out throwing something of a lottery.

The home side took the lead with an early try by hooker Hughes, following a clever line out. The game then settled into what soccer pundits might term ‘a midfield battle’, with both sides using their forwards to attempt to gain ground. Ebbw might reflect that they could have kicked more – though the wind at their backs was so strong that there would have been the risk of sending the ball dead – while the Drovers simply couldn’t kick against the gale. However, forward pressure, with the Clarke-Kynes-Young back row, and hooker Franchi always prominent, brought opportunities. Dai Langdon mastered the conditions to send his two penalty shots between the posts, giving the Steelmen a 6-5 half time lead.

As the snow and wind continued to exert their influence, Llandovery’s Jack Maynard proved every bit as accurate with the boot as Langdon had been in the first half. His four penalties were the only scores of the second half. Ebbw battled bravely, and it looked as if they had captured a deserved bonus point only for the referee to rule that a Llandovery player had lodged himself between ball and ground to prevent the score. It finished 17-6, and the players, officials and supporters began the long defrost and finger/toe inventory check.

================================================================================Ar brynhawn hynod o aeafol, â’r eira yn rhuthro hyd y maes a thu hwnt ar wynt cryf o’r dwyrain, colli bu hanes Glynebwy mewn gêm dynn a chystadleuol iawn.

By Llanymddyfri’n mynd yn y blaen yn gynnar iawn; eu bachwr bywiog Dafydd Hughesyn manteisio ar symudiad graff o linell i groesi yn y cornel. Cael a chael buodd y charade am weddill yr hanner, gyda’r ddau dîm yn amddiffyn yn gryf. A dweud y gwir, bu gan y Porthmyn ddim siawns i glirio trwy gicio yn erbyn y lluwchwynt a’r dymhest, a bu Glynebwy – efallai – yn euog o beidio a chicio, a defnyddio’r gwynt i gadw Llanymddyfri yn eu 22. Bu maswr Dai Langdon yn llwyddo glanio dau gic cosb ac aeth Glynebwy o’r maes ar yr egwyl yn y blaen gan 6-5.

Chwarae ymhlith y blaenwyr, a chicio, oedd hanes yr ail hanner, a bu Jack Maynard yn meistroli’r cyflyrau er mwyn cadw ei dîm ar y troed blaen. Bu Glynebwy’n brwydro’n ddewr i geisio sicrhau pwynt bonws, – neu fwy – a buon nhw’n dod yn agos iawn, ond am dacl gwych gan glo Llanymddyfri i rwystro’r cais.

Yn y pendraw, bu Llanymddyfri’n cipio’r fuddugoliaeth trwy bedwar cic cosb Maynard a 17-6 oedd hi ar ddiwedd y prynhawn. Llongyfarchiadau enfawr i’r ddau dîm a’r swyddogion am adlonni’r dorf fach. Bydd llawer o achosion ewinrhew yn Sir Gâr a Blaenau Gwent wythnos nesaf, heb os!

Ebbw Vale team was:

1) Joel Harries 2) Joe Franchi 3) Rob Sevenoaks 4) Kris Parker 5) Josh Jacas 6) Rhys Clarke 7) Ronny Kynes (Capt)
8) Lewis Young 9) Dai Jones 10) Dai Langdon 11) Steff Thomas 12) Dom Franchi 13) James Lewis 14) Toby Fricker
15) Dan Haymond 16) Rhys Francis 17) Jordan Rogers 18) Curtis Hicks 19) Lance Randall 20) Jon Davies 21) Sam Ireland 22) Tom Hoppe 23) Lewis Dennett