30 Sep 2023
Ebbw Vale 26 RGC 10
Saturday 30th September 2023
RGC started on the from foot with a kick charge down leading to a multi-phases before Sam Stoddard went close to scoring, but the winger couldn’t touch down over the try line.
A big scrum from the Gogs gave them a penalty and Sam Earl-Jones pulled the trigger to boot the ball between the posts.
RGC won another penalty, but it was reversed for back chat, which seems a trend that happens far to often this season.
The Steelmen began to stretch the field and looked to find a gap, and they found it after Harry Rees Waldon collected the ball and ran in to score.
Ebbw Vale were on the attack and a quick tap led to a break but Sam Stoddard made a great tackle to stop Waldon in his tracks.
RGC were defending well, and keeping the visitors out with some great work around the breakdown.
They were unable to get a foothold in the game though, with lineouts again not finding hands and putting pressure straight back on them.
Winger Waldon went close again, but similar to RGC he knocked out over the try line.
Just before halftime, the homeside struck again when a 13-man maul drove over and hooker Rhys Francis claimed the try with Evan Lloyd adding the extras.
Ebbw Vale turned on the pressure in the 2nd half and RGC were made to work hard, Ethan Fackrell on his first game in 9 months stopped a try with a great hold up. tackle on the line.
The Gogs dug in, but the pressure was felt when the maul drove hard and Francis grabbed his 2nd try with Lloyd kicking the conversion.
RGC looked to open up and pick up the speed, moving the ball well but they couldn’t find a gap in the Ebbw Vale defence.
Frustratingly when RGC won the penalties, created the line-out opportunities it misfired and let the homeside off.
RGC were rewarded with a try after a clever kick from Sam Earl-Jones and Daf Williams collected to run into touchdown. Earl-Jones converted.
As the game went on RGC speed around the park increased, and the kick chase delivered some results but again the lineout hampered the attacks.
The sucker punch can on the 80th minute when they counter-attacked and Rory Harries grabbed the try with a Meak conversion.
Head Coach Ceri Jones “I thought it was a much-improved performance, but we didn’t again at times we didn’t deal with the momentum of the game. Some decisions in the game I didn’t agree with, and when those go against you then it plays into a team like Ebbw Vale. They are a territory side, so that kick to touch and driving maul is what they are good at.
That said, we need to control the game better and learn that if decisions aren’t going our way – then how to deal with that.
You could see when we played with tempo and the referee allowed it later in the game then we caused them some problems.
We have a few work ons, the set-piece didn’t work today and we made some errors that caused us issues but we came to play rugby and when we were allowed to we did.”
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