DEFEATS away for both Ebbw Vale and Cross Keys now make Saturday’s clash at Eugene Cross Park a massive match that head coach Matthew McCarthy calls “an eight-pointer”.

Both Aberavon and Ebbw Vale had injuries galore before their encounter, but while Aberavon could call up Academy and Ospreys players, the Steelmen could not, having to bring in four players on permit for their first games and trying desperately to bring a fifth but being denied.

Replacements Tristan Mabbutt and Johnny Vaughan were new faces, as was London Welsh full back Ed Lewis-Pratt, while James Lewis returned home on permit from Coventry.

The Premiership is not being played on a level basis, as is well known, but Ebbw Vale bit their lips and got on with it, actually leading after five minutes when Lewis took an interception and raced clear with Gareth Bowen converting.

Thereafter, however, they chased the game, being totally outscrummaged in the old Aberavon fashion, by a good front row that was replaced after 67 minutes by one just as good.

Yet Aberavon had both first-choice props missing. How Ebbw Vale would have loved to do that!

Ebbw Vale tackled and harassed well, but three scores by three-quarters came before the interval and the replacement pack drove over for three more in the second half.

The cause was not helped when wing Andrew Bevan left for the University Hospital of Wales just before the break with an eye injury.

But head coach Matthew McCarthy, who praised his old club Aberavon, was angry with his side’s performance, saying: “We had no structure, gave the ball away too much, and with no scrum power we had no platform in which to play.

“We have good supporters and we will certainly need them on Saturday, but Eugene Cross Park is still not an easy place to win at. We must play with the same passion and guts that we did against Llanelli.”

Forwards coach Christian Loader was upset over the loss at the scrummage but the 20-stone Lloyd Howell of Aberavon has become probably the best scrummager in the division this season and his replacement, Mike Harris – only his club’s seventh choice(!) – has played 292 times.

After the Vale try, Ospreys wing Johnny Vaughton scored a minute later and Wales under-20 fly-half Matthew Jarvis converted.

Then wing Rory Saunders and another Under-20 cap Ashley Beck crossed, with Jarvis adding a penalty and conversion.

In the second half skipper Andrew Jenkins made some good efforts, as did replacement Shaun Powell, but the ‘new’ pack with five replacements on drove first Rory Gallagher and then Ian Poley off before forcing a collapsed scrum and penalty try. Jarvis converted all three and placed another penalty.

Aberavon: J Murphy; J Vaughton, B John, A Beck (M Bennett 63), R Saunders; M Jarvis, C Morgans (D Davies 67); L Howell (M Harris 67), M Breeze (C Richards 67), A Edwards (I Poley 64), I Moore (capt) (G Ronan 67), C Gittins, J King, R Morris (R Gallagher 57), J Tipuric.

Tries – J Vaughton, R Saunders, A Beck, R Gallagher, I Poley, pen try; cons – M Jarvis 5; pens – M Jarvis 2.

Ebbw Vale: E Lewis-Pratt; N Wilcox, J Lewis, M Lewis, A Bevan (S Powell 38); G Bowen (A Williams 78), A Jenkins (capt) (N Jones 63); M Jefferies, D Powell (J Vaughan 76), A Howell (C Ackford 40), M Amos, N Eaves, R Jenkins, R Williams (T Mabbutt 54), S Pengelly (J Griffiths 52).

Try – J Lewis; cons – G Bowen.

Referee – Wayne Davies (Llanelli).

Ebbw Vale star man – Andrew Jenkins.