Ebbw Vale 41 Aberavon 8, Indigo Premiership, 06/04/24

A comprehensive bonus-point victory for Ebbw Vale resulted from one of the Steelmen's most complete performances of the season against notoriously tough opponents from the Talbot Athletic Ground.

It may have turned British Summer Time seven days previously but the strong southerly wind blowing up the valley suggested that winter was not over.

Ebbw took full advantage of the wind behind them in the first half, combining big touch finders with forward power and strong defence. This yielded two tries, the first a penalty try when a neat backs' move was halted by a deliberate knock-on, the second from Evan Lloyd at full back finishing off a sharp Ethan Phillips break, duly converted by Lloyd. These added to his four first half penalties giving the home side a 26-0 half time lead.

Nonetheless, the lead was deceptive as now Ebbw had to play down into the wind, and Aberavon were sure to respond to their first half mauling.

Indeed they did, penalties were exchanged, and then crisp Wizards handling led to a Chris Banfield try, making the score 29-8.

Avon hopes of a comeback were thwarted however as Ebbw's strong bench gave the Steelmen a boost. Powerful running and crisp handling led to Lewis Young crossing the whitewash in the corner.

Ebbw were now keen for the bonus point, but time was running out as Aberavon defended stoutly. But with the last move of the game, lineout ball 'off the top' was quickly spread and Ethan Phillips took a lovely pass from Cameron Davies and crashed through the defence and raced 40 yards to go under the posts. Lloyd converted to make it 41-8.

With the victory, Ebbw secured at least third place in the table and achieved the season's aim of reaching the play-offs, with a likely away semi-final against Llandovery or Newport.

Ebbw Vale 25 Newport 31, Indigo Premiership, 23/03/2024

Ebbw Vale came off second best in the Gwent derby as a late Newport try from Elliott Ferriman  secured the victory in a toughly contested contest.

In fairness, it was a much-improved performance from the Steelmen following the debacle in the cup semi-final, in that there was no lack of effort or commitment.

In an entertaining encounter on a cold afternoon, both sides made multiple errors and will need to be better if either is to deny Llandovery the Premiership crown.

Newport started well and responded to an early Evan Lloyd penalty with a Che Hope touchdown converted by Matt O'Brien. Ebbw responded with an excellent move leading to a Jordan Thomas try converted by Lloyd, making it 10-7.

O'Brien responded with a penalty before Ebbw indiscipline saw both Dylan Bartlett and Jon Evans sent to the sin-bin. Newport took advantage with Elliott Frewen crossing the whitewash and O'Brien adding the extras. Lloyd kicked a penalty for Ebbw to making the interval score 13-17.

Early in the second half, things looked ominous for Ebbw as the visitors' pack took control through a hooker's try from Henry Palmer, converted by O'Brien. Home coach Jason Strange rang the changes and this gave the hosts a boost of energy.

Ebbw's forward were now in the ascendancy and powered their way to two tries from Joe Franchi, the latter converted by Lloyd, giving them a 25-24 lead.

Unfortunately, continuing errors, including missing touch and an inability to secure their own lineout ball, cost Ebbw dear, as relentless pressure from the visitors eventually saw the home defence crack. Newport's late try was converted making it 25-31 and even though there was time for a restart, Ebbw could not make any inroads.

Llandovery 43 Ebbw Vale 7, Indigo Premiership Cup Semi-final, 02/03/24

Ebbw Vale's visit to the Talbot Athletic Ground for its 10th WRU Cup semi-final ended in massive disappointment for the club's vocal and loyal supporters, as Llandovery demonstrated superiority in all aspects of the game.

The eagerly-anticipated contest followed two tight games in the league earlier in the season where honours were even between the sides. This, however, was no contest at all as a rare bad day from the Steelmen was compounded by a quick, well-drilled Llandovery outfit. Not even Ebbw's big pack could get any foothold as even the set pieces yielded little joy.

Right from the off, the Drovers were sharper and more clinical as they raced to a half time 29-0 lead, through tries from Jac Davies, Ioan Hughes, Adam Warren and Jamie Hughes, supplemented by 3 conversions and a penalty from Hughes.

Any hopes of an Ebbw revival after the break were quickly dissipated with a further try from Davies (although there seemed to be a blatant knock-on as he gathered the kick through). There was a late Ebbw consolation score from Reece Dunn converted by Kieran Meek, but Ebbw's pain was not over as Llandovery Number 8 Joe Powell completed the rout. Both tries were converted.

Whilst Ebbw supporters have some gripes about infringements leading to two of the Drovers tries, let's be clear that the best team won, and Ebbw's 53-year wait for a Cup Final on Welsh soil goes on. On a personal note, I've now seen Ebbw in seven semi-finals and have yet to see a victory.