29 Mar EBBW VALE 48-17 BRIDGEND
Ebbw Vale temporarily went top of Super Rygbi Cymru with a comprehensive six point win over Bridgend on Thursday evening.
The Ravens got off to the worst possible start when Ryan Jenkins bagged the host’s first try of the evening from a driving maul. The usually reliable Evan Lloyd’s conversion slipped wide.
The Steelmen were relentless early on and after some slick hands, wing Ryan Gardener, later voted Ebbw Vale’s Man of the Match crossed in the corner. Again, Lloyd’s kick was missed.
Bridgend bounced back and a powerful maul effort was held up over the line as Harry Olding looked to get the Ravens back into the match. Ebbw Vale temporarily cleared but continued pressure from the visitors saw Curtis Gregory yellow carded, and from the resulting maul Corey Lewis crossed. Paul Short, back in the side for the first time this season, knocked over the extras.
With a man advantage, Bridgend looked for a quick start to make the most of the additional player but some loose play from the restart resulted in scrum half Rory Harries scoring for Ebbw after a soft kick through. The conversion was once again put wide by Lloyd.
The visitors chipped away at the deficit with a penalty from Short, with the Heol y Cyw man’s follow up attempt two minutes later drifting wide of the uprights.
As the game hung in the balance, Harry Olding was shown a yellow card by referee Craig Evans for a no arms tackle – a decision which would prove costly in the outcome of the match. From the penalty, Ebbw went to the corner and the Ravens illegally halted the maul effort which saw a penalty try awarded and Corey Lewis sent to the bin. Bridgend would have to play the remainder of the half with thirteen players.
The depleted pack were always likely to struggle at scrum time and from a defensive 5m scrum, Ebbw’s power knocked Bridgend backwards and Ryan Jenkins had the simple task of touching down.
Back row Kobi Rees outpaced the Bridgend defence to score a try of his own moments later to give the Gwent side a handsome lead at the break.
HT: Ebbw Vale 34-10 Bridgend
Paul Short got the second half underway as Bridgend looked to get back into the game to salvage something in the race to the end of season playoffs. The Ravens dominated early proceedings but just couldn’t find a way through a stern Ebbw Vale defence.
With the game now wide open, replacement Jake Thomas was caught in two minds in defence and Ebbw were able to steal possession for a replacement of their own, Joe Franchi to score a converted try.
Next was perhaps the moment of the match for Bridgend, stand-in skipper Thomas Jevons threw a delightful trick pass to Cameron Ellis, with the winger’s lovely chip through gathered and grounded by Callaghan Smith. Smith converted his own score and with 20 minutes to go, gave his side some hope of rescuing something from the tie.
The Steelmen had the final say with Jacob Hopkins bagging a try from a driving maul, again converted by Lloyd and it appeared that the remainder of the match would peter out.
That wasn’t quite the case though as Ebbw Vale’s replacement centre Ethan Phillips was given a straight red card by Craig Evans for an off the ball incident. That was almost the final act though as Ebbw sealed top spot and left Bridgend clinging on to the final automatic playoff place.
The fixtures don’t get any easier for Scott Baldwin’s men as Cardiff come to the Dunraven Brewery Field next weekend (5th April) for a 2:30pm kick off.