Even though the first Saturday in March is officially 'Spring', it felt far from that on a bitterly cold afternoon at Ebbw Vale. With snow flurries on nearby Llangynidr moors, and frequent sleet and hail showers during the game, it was down to the Steelmen's power pack to warm the hands and feet of the ever loyal home crowd.
In all honesty the first half was something of a disappointment, with a picky referee and aimless kicking by Ebbw's backs spoiling the flow of the game. To be honest, Ebbw were fortunate to lead 14-8 at the break, through tries by Ashley Sweet and David Williams, as they has failed to make the most of the biting northerly draft blowing down from Beaufort.
The second half saw a significant improvement as Gethin Robinson returned from a harsh sin binning, and Ebbw's dominant scrum yielded a yellow card from the visitors. This turned the match as two quick tries followed. A classic Catch'n'Kynes followed by a snipe from Chris Thomas gave the home side a cushion which they had now earned.
The lively Chris Levesley added a 5th touchdown which together with 2 conversions from Iain Smerdon made the game out of reach of the visitors from the West.
In fairness, Llanelli tried to play rugby to the end but the Ebbw defence held firm, even after all of the bench had been used.
The win takes Ebbw to 2nd in the table with a home clash versus league leaders Pontypridd being the main course next Saturday before the mere dessert of England v Wales on TV.
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