Valete Ebbw

I’m sure that “Streaky” Edwards my Latin teacher at West Mon Grammar School would be proud that I remembered at least one word from all those lessons.

Ebbw Vale duly rolled off their 16th successive win in the Welsh Championship with a convincing 33-10 home victory over Pontypool.  Ebbw Vale must surely be promoted to the Premiership at the end of the season as they are a country mile ahead of everyone else. As a Pooler fan I will be delighted to say good bye (or valete) to them. Firstly because they richly deserve it, and secondly because, whilst they are in the Championship, no one else will have a sniff. Of course they still have the shifting sands of Welsh rugby to contend with and the WRU may yet find a reason to change the structure of the league again at the last moment to deny them their rightful position in the Premiership..

So to the match. Ebbw Vale kicked off and Pooler failed to secure the ball and immediately their line was under siege with a series of short range scrums and lineouts. Amazingly a stout Pooler defence coupled with some astute refereeing prevented the home side scoring. It was clear that the Ebbw Vale scrum was dominant and, although Pooler managed to escape to the halfway line, a heel against the head led to the Ebbw scrum half Jones sprinting down the touch line to score in the corner. Ebbw were well on top in all phases of the game but on a rare incursion into home territory Gullis kicked a penalty to bring the score back to 5-3. Another disrupted scrum close to Pooler’s line led to Ebbw’s second try and a 12-3 score line. Pooler failed to take an excellent opportunity to score a try just before half time after a break by Taylor but the 9 point margin at half time did not truly reflect the home side’s dominance.

In the second half, Ebbw Vale took advantage of a Pooler yellow card to pull away. They scored two of their three second half tries during this period. Pooler did manage to score a solitary consolation try from James but never really threatened the home side’s unbeaten record. It was a game in which Ebbw Vale held all the aces. They were more powerful in the forward exchanges and this meant that their half backs were able to control the game and release their strong running backs. Pooler for their part never gave up and tackled and foraged tirelessly. There were too many turnovers, however, perhaps a reflection on how little rugby that they have played since Christmas.

I see that the Regions have written a long letter to the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee at the Welsh Assembly. It is certainly not a riveting read but the main thrust is to blame the WRU for everything and to tell everyone that they cannot be trusted. It certainly could not be described as conciliatory although it does seem to make some sense. We wait with bated breath for Roger Lewis’ response. No doubt there will be a team of lawyers slaving over it as we read the Sunday papers. It will be the end of the season before we know it and still nothing is settled!

So it’s Twickenham for Wales next weekend. I can’t help feeling quite pessimistic about the result but then of course I’ll be delighted to be proved wrong. Wales will have to up it a level or two from what they have produced so far if they are to succeed. Twickenham is a soulless place even when you win but if you lose….. All you want to do is get home but you can’t get away - it’s purgatory.

Perhaps Pontypool v Narbeth on Saturday and a Sunday afternoon on the couch is a more attractive option.