November 15, 2025 - 222 views
RGC 26 Ebbw Vale 38
SRC Round 9
Saturday 15th November 2025
It was the league leaders who left Stadiwm Eirias with the win, despite a spirited effort from RGC.
Ebbw Vale struck first through an early penalty from Evan Lloyd, but the Gogs answered quickly. A well-worked driving maul took them close before Gareth Parry powered over for the opening RGC try, with Billy McBryde adding the conversion.
Much of the opening quarter saw RGC put boot to ball, probing the Ebbw Vale backfield and testing their composure under pressure. The visitors responded with their trademark weapon — the driving maul — and though they crossed the line, excellent RGC defensive grit held them up.
The Steelmen continued to lean heavily on their forwards, and as momentum grew, the referee’s whistle brought a setback for RGC: Charlie Probert was shown a yellow card, leaving the hosts down to 14. This time Ebbw Vale made the extra number count, finally rumbling over from close range, with Lloyd converting.
Even a man down, RGC refused to back off. Scrum-half Connor Dever sparked a superb counter from inside his own half, bursting away before linking with Caio Parry. The winger surged forward and offloaded to McBryde, who stepped through a tackle and powered over before adding his own extras.
As half-time approached, Ebbw Vale began to win the collisions, bending the defensive line and eventually earning their third try through Ethan Phillips. Lloyd once again slotted the conversion. Right on the whistle, RGC produced a crucial turnover with the visitors threatening on the whitewash, keeping themselves firmly in the contest.
In the second half, Ebbw Vale emerged strongly, immediately setting up another attacking lineout and once more letting the pack go to work. They powered over again, with Lloyd maintaining his perfect kicking record. The league leaders stretched further ahead soon after, crossing once more to make it 31–14.
RGC searched for ways to break down the Steelmen defence, and when McBryde spotted space wide, his pinpoint crossfield kick found Sam Jones. The winger collected calmly and raced in for a much-needed score.
The comeback effort was hampered when RGC were reduced to 14 again, this time Delwyn Jones seeing yellow. Ebbw Vale tried to make the most of it, attacking with width and speed, but Dion Jones produced a superb try-saving tackle to snuff out a clear overlap.
Eventually, the visitors’ pack proved decisive once more, driving over after a sequence of scrums to tighten their grip on the scoreboard.
Ebbw Vale were shown a yellow when Danuel Buffrey was sent to the bin.
In the closing minutes, Dion Jones offered the home crowd something to cheer. Spotting space, he straightened and burst through the defensive line, accelerating away untouched to claim a bonus-point try — a moment of individual quality that underlined RGC’s fighting spirit to the end.
