Ebbw Rugby Notes

A fine 24 -17 win for Ebbw Vale at Premiership table-toppers Neath on Saturday. Considering Ebbw hadn’t won there since 1999, I did not travel optimistically. Indeed, I had considered giving the game a miss. But a couple of 23 – 23 draws between the sides swayed me into thinking that it could be a good game.

And what a game. Best this season by a country mile. Four tries meant a bonus point as well.

More details on the Ebbw Vale RFC website, and various reports of the game can be found here and here.

Ebbw Vale now go third in the Premiership. The table is on Graham’s website. Next weekend Ebbw are home to Bedwas.

Scorers: Four tries, all scored by backs: two for wing turned centre Jamie Lewis (son of ex-Ebbw Steve Lewis, onetime WRU chief exec), one for wing John Rees Williams and one for Dragons loaned outside-half Gareth McCarthey. Two conversions, one each for McCarthey and sub Bryan Shelbourne.

Highlights: Best crowd of the season, and best game of the season. Ebbw’s pack outplayed Neath, and everyone tackled their hearts out.

Lowlights: Very few, but to be picky we missed a bunch of kicks which kept Neath close and could have cost us dear. A few mental mistakes too: restarts straight into touch, and Nio got pinged a few times for not binding in the scrums.

Man of the Match: Tough call, it could have been anyone, but I’d just about give it to Aaron Bramwell, who had a great game at centre.