Sunday, September 30, 2012

Ebbw Vale 37 Newbridge 7, SWALEC Championship, 29/09/12

It was another Derby Day Demolition job at Eugene Cross Park as Ebbw Vale crushed near neighbours and nemesis of recent seasons, Newbridge.
 
The Steelmen ran in 5 tries and gained a valuable bonus point to go to the top of the table on try count and, on current form, it is a position in which they'll stay. On a bright but cool afternoon a healthy crowd saw the pace and power of the home side totally dominate the encounter, and, quite frankly, if it wasn't for some last gasp slip ups and some benevolent refereeing (towards Newbridge) by top ref Nigel Owens, it could have been 67.
 

From the Ebbw website:

"In a game the Steelmen dominated, Ronny Kynes got the first touchdown after Dan Haymond's early penalty. It was vintage catch and drive from a lineout following a penalty. Ebbw's forwards had their opposite numbers back-pedalling faster than Mark Colbourne in reverse and Kynes grabbed the try. Ebbw's second was scored by Tom Ashmead whose scintillating run-in from half way saw him turn would-be tacklers inside out. It was 18-0 at half time, but it could have been much more had Ebbw taken all their chances, one following a superb slicing break by the influential man-of-the-match Dan Haymond and the other when a 3-man overlap was overlooked. Newbridge were clearly wounded by the first half and came out strongly after the break. In the first minute, former Ebbw scrum half Tom Edwards charged down Haymond's clearance and Burnett goaled to make the score 18-7. Any prospects of a fightback were nullified when Josh Lewis capitalised on a Simpson kick ahead to score, and the bonus point was in the bag when replacement scrum half Josh Davies darted over after sustained pressure by the superb Ebbw pack. That made it 30-7, but Ebbw weren't done and a brilliant break by the hungry-looking Wes Cunliffe appeared to have put Davies in for a second score. When he was tackled short, the alert Cunliffe, who had run a great supporting line, was on his shoulder to accept the pop pass and register his side's fifth try."

The match ball was sponsored by Eye For Finance :)











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