The Premiership champions were denied a famous win ahead of their opening game at Llanelli on Sunday when Barney Maddison grabbed a late, late try for the Exiles. Up until then it had been the visitors who had been in control.
Tries from Jordan Howells and Chris Levesley in the opening quarter gave Ebbw Vale the lead before home hooker Adam Kwasnicki crossed for the Exiles. Josh Lewis then added a third try before James Lewis went over in the corner with the last play of the half to help cut the gap at the break to seven points.
Chris Levesley’s second try extended the Premiership champions’ lead and left the Exiles with a mountain to climb. But ex-Ospreys and Scarlets wing Kristian Phillips crossed after 68 minutes and Barney Maddison’s late, late score salvaged a draw for the B&I Cup holders.
“Ebbw Vale were big and strong and they fought for everything, especially at the breakdown. We allowed them to put their hands on our ball, we were reactive rather than proactive,” said Exiles head coach James Buckland.
As for the Steelmen’s head coach, Nigel Davies, he will have been pleased with such a good work-out head of the new season. He knows exactly how difficult it is going to be to defend the title, especially with the change in format to the Premiership with the introduction of four new teams this season.
Davies has already warned his players that retaining the title will be much harder than it was winning the top semi-professional trophy for the first time earlier in the year. Damien Hudd led his side to a stunning 38-12 win over reigning champions Pontypridd with a blistering performance at Sardis Road.
But Davies knows that if his side gets a similar, stuttering start to the new campaign as they did last season then all hope of doing the double could quickly disappear.
Changes to the structure this season have not only seen the experimental World Rugby laws ditched – it is back to five point tries and three point penalties – but also four new teams introduced and a split at the half-way mark of the season into a top tier of eight clubs, who will fight it out for the title, and a second tier of eight teams.
“It was a huge performance by us in the final at Pontypridd and our challenge now is to pick up where we left off. It’s not going to be easy to reach those sort of levels early on for a number of reasons,” said Davies.
“This group needs to be challenged. Their challenge last year was to win the Premiership, they did that, and the challenge this year is to set the standard in the league.
“That’s what we have to do early on because with the first round of games deciding who finishes in the top eight, momentum is everything. When you play against the champions it always gives you more incentive and puts a bounce in your step.
“We came from nowhere last season because our first third of the season was very much up and down. Then we had a run of 10 games on the bounce that we won, so we came up on the blindside a little bit.
“But now people will be expecting us to perform at a high level as the champions and we will be expecting that of ourselves as well.”
The four promoted teams, Merthyr, Swansea, Bargoed and RGC1404, all look capable of more than holding their own in the top tier and last season’s basement side, Neath, have recruited strongly and look set to rise up the table. It promises to be a highly competitive campaign, although every time has the security of knowing that the division is ring-fenced for three years with no prospect of relegation in that time.
Former Scarlets backs coach Mark Jones has taken over the reigns from Phil Davies at RGC1404 and Davies is backing him to succeed in his new role. Three other former Welsh internationals, Lee Jarvis, Dale McIntosh and Jamie Ringer, are on the coaching team at WRU Championship winners Merthyr
“I’m sure Mark will do a good job in north Wales. They are a strong side and there has been a lot of investment there, which is important,” said Davies.
“It’s the same at newly promoted Merthyr, but the challenge to both of them will be not just to recruit good players, but to create the right team environment. That is vital in this league.
“It is different to the professional game, where 90% of what you do is not coaching. At this level it is all about coaching.
“It is seven days a week in the professional game, whereas here it is two nights a week and a game at the weekend. Sometimes there is too much time to fill in the professional game, whereas here we are struggling to find time to do everything you want.”
Among Merthyr’s new signings for the season are former Cardiff Blues outside half Gareth Davies and two highly promising young threequarters returning to Wales from Moseley, Kyle Evans and Aaron Pinches. A new 4G pitch has also added excitement to the new season at The Wern.
With a number of players having made the short move from Pontypridd to Merthyr, the Ponty skipper Dafydd Lockyer was quick to point out that the matches between the two teams would probably replace the games with Cardiff as the biggest derbies of the season. The addition of Ponty legend Dale McIntosh to the coaching team at Merthyr will add extra spice.
“We will have one of the best training and playing facilities and Wales when it is all finished and we have put together a strong squad that we feel can compete in the Premiership. We know it is going to be difficult, as it will be for all four new teams in the division,” said head coach Lee Jarvis.
“We will all have to perform to our maximum week in, week out. Last year if we had an off-day against one of the lower teams we could still come out on top, but it will be different this season.
“We know we will have to have a good set-piece and it’s great having Dale McIntosh on the coaching team. The Pontypridd fixtures will be fantastic!
“We’ve also brought in same quality players and given development contracts to three of our Youth team players. We know we are going to have to sustain what we are doing her with local talent and there is some great talent up here.
“Sir Stan Thomas will have his own expectations, and so do we, so there will be pressure, but I think we are experienced enough to handle that.”
