Match Report Ebbw Vale RFC 18 Newport RFC 14
Steelmen reach SRC Final
Ebbw played Newport RFC in the semi final of the SRC play offs, in front of the S4C cameras at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium. An hour before the game, a heavy down pour of rain made the pitch wet and slippery. The game saw Hooker Corey Lewis make his debut for Ebbw Vale on permit from Bridgend Ravens.
Within the first few minutes of kick-off, Ebbw Vale number seven Sion Parry was shown a yellow card by referee Adam Jones for being off his feet and slapping the ball down earning him 10 minutes in the sin bin.
After applying pressure, from a rolling maul, the Black and Ambers forwards got up a head of steam and scored the first try of the game through number four Josh Skinner. Jac Lloyd slotting the ball through the uprights to put his team seven nil up.
With the weather ramping up, knock-ons and overthrown lineouts from both teams made the game stop/start.
A lovely 50-22 kick by the hosts outside half Evan Lloyd, put the home side on the front foot. The visitors number 12 Harri Ackerman was sent to the sin bin by referee Jones for three continues offsides.
The Steelmen were forced into an early change when Ben Main went off due to injury with Alfred Bateman-Lloyd replacing the flanker.
After going through phase after phase, Ebbw thought they had scored their first try of the game through Corey Lewis. However, the TMO overturned the decision with an Ebbw Vale player knocking the ball on at the base of the ruck.
With the game approaching half time, the Steelmen were reduced to fourteen again when Alfred Bateman-Lloyd was shown a yellow card for a tip tackle.
Halftime: Ebbw Vale RFC 0 Newport RFC 7
At the start of the second half, Ebbw coach Jason Strange replaced prop Adam Williams with Morgan Bosanko.
With Newport knocking the ball on and a player in front of the ball, Ebbw were awarded a penalty which was kicked to the corner. However, the Steelmen were unable to collect the ball at the lineout, and the visitors cleared their lines.
The tide had started to turn, with the Steelmen forwards gaining metres every time they had the ball. With referee Jones penalising the Black and Ambers, a kick to the corner by Ebbw Vale’s Evan Lloyd saw the home side win the line out and set a rolling maul. Joined by the backs, number two Corey Lewis benefited to score Ebbw’s first try of the game. The conversion went wide from the home side’s Lloyd.
After being awarded a penalty in the away side’s twenty-two, fly half Lloyd sent the ball through the posts to put his team in front for the first time in the game.
Further ill-discipline by Newport, saw second row Josh Skinner spend ten minutes in the sin bin. With the penalty, Lloyd stepped up and delivered to put Ebbw four points in front.
Ebbw were awarded another penalty just inside the away side’s half. Lloyd smashed the ball, however it only just missed the uprights.
From the drop out, the away side’s fly half Jac Lloyd took a quick tap and was adjudged to have been fouled by the Steelmen’s hooker Corey Lewis. Lewis was shown a yellow card as a result.
Inside the last five minutes of the game, good back play by the Black and Ambers saw replacement Harrison James go through a gap in the hosts defence, draw the player and pass to winger Fin Baker, who scored in the corner to put the away side 11-12 in front. Number ten Jac Lloyd kicked the conversion to make it a three-point game.
With minutes to go Ebbw coach Strange then brought on Lewis Young, Adam Court and Gruff Tough for prop Luke Garrett, scrum half Jon Evans and number eight Owen Conquer.
With the home side still down to fourteen, winger Mitch Rankine came off for hooker James Talamai to come on, with Ebbw having a lineout 2 metres away from the Black and Ambers tryline.
After having the lineout disrupted, the Steelmen forwards regrouped, went through phase after phase to get within a few metres of the tryline. Brilliant thinking from the hosts replacement Gruff Tough, saw the scrum half put in a pinpoint cross-field kick to fullback Dylan Edwards out on the wing. With little space on his outside, Edwards jumped up into the air and caught the ball, rolling over the tryline with his opposite number underneath him, he dotted the ball down and scored to score the winning try of the game. Lloyd hammered the ball through the sticks.
Newport was allowed to restart the game. However, the ball was knocked on, and referee Jones brought a titanic battle to a close, sending the home side fans into eruption of cheers and the Steelmen into their second final of the Super Rygbi Cymru play offs, where they will play against Llandovery RFC.
Fulltime: Ebbw Vale RFC 18 Newport RFC 14
Tries: Corey Lewis (1), Dylan Edwards (1)
Conversions: Evan Lloyd (1)
Penalties: Evan Lloyd (2)
Ebbw Vale RFC will play Llandovery RFC in the final of the SRC play offs at the Ciner Glass Community Stadium on Sunday 10th May 2026, with kick off at 4:45pm. The game will be shown live on S4C.
Written by Alex Kinsella-Evans