Ebbw Vale 17- Bridgend 18

IT WAS hard to know who was the most disappointed, Ebbw Vale coach Mike Ruddock or full back Gareth Cull, pictured, after this home defeat, which leaves Vale close to the bottom of the Welsh/Scottish League.

Ruddock knows Saturday's match was one his side should have won against rivals shorn of many of their top players and short of confidence after an unexpected run of defeats.

And Cull knows he should have ensured victory instead of missing three easy penalty shots and having a conversion charged down which would have won the match.

One of the most reliable goalkickers in Welsh rugby can be forgiven for pushing wide a last-minute angled attempt from 55m. Few would have made that.

But he is probably still reliving the nightmare of seeing Jamie Ringer charge down his conversion of Vale's third try against former team-mates he wanted so much to impress against.

Vale had done superbly to get back into a game they had looked like losing when trailing 18-0 at half time.

They would have been happy to have been just 3-0 down against the wind after 25 minutes of what had been a pedestrian game of poor ball retention.

But then Bridgend produced a flowing threequarter move for British Lion Dafydd James to put right wing Gareth Jones over for a try.

Full back Adrian Durston then added a penalty before a moment of magic by Wales international Gareth Thomas soon after.

Thomas took a pass from outside half Paul Williams, recalled from Bedwas because of Bridgend's injury crisis, sliced through the initial line of defence and then sped outside full back Matt James for a superb solo effort.

Vale had struggled in the opening period with just a few exceptions, one of them outstanding flanker Kati Tuipulotu.

He tackled superbly to create turnovers and charged at the opposition to create problems, and his team-mates followed suit after the interval.

Showing a determination and passion previously meeting, they dominated all aspects of play, particularly the lineouts and scrums.

They piled on the pressure and though it took them almost 20 minutes of the second period to break through, they eventually deservedly did so.

Despite a poor pass, replacement wing Neil McKim got over. Then, after a lineout drive had been held, centre David Weatherley was put over after a ruck.

And then, after Vale had kicked a penalty for position, another drive was held before Tuipulotu crashed over for the touchdown his efforts had merited.

The conversion looked a formality, but Ringer charged down Cull's kick and you knew it just wasn't meant to be Ebbw Vale's day.