The Steelmen stormed Sardis Road to shock Pontypridd 38-12 and claim the Premiership crown. Ponty had lifted the trophy in each of the last four seasons, but were powerless to stop Nigel Davies’ men, who romped to victory thanks to two tries each from Ronnie Kynes and David Williams, with Dan Haymond also getting in on the act.
The title victory marks an incredible journey for the Steelmen, who were relegated from the Premiership back in 2010, and had to battle back from Division One East. They were only crowned Championship winners and promoted back to the top-flight in 2014, before losing out to Ponty in last season’s final.
But under the guidance of Davies, Ebbw went one better to be crowned champions, and captain Hudd hailed the family spirit that has resurrected the Gwent club.
He said: “It’s amazing, to come to Sardis Road and beat Ponty, who have won the title four years in-a-row is incredible. It was the way we won as well, we won quite comfortably, we were dominant in massive parts of the game. They had a lot of ball in the opening exchanges but we just defended everything.
“I’m lost for words, the boys have been fantastic. Some of us have been here for six years now and it’s taken a long time to get here. I’m 35-years-old now and might never do it again, so I’ll enjoy today.
“To come back and win it after last year shows our mental strength, we’re all the best of mates and you can’t buy that, you have to grow it. We’ve grown as a team and as a family and it means the world to all of us. We give up a lot of time to play at this level but it’s all worth it for moments like this.”
