Who can stop the Ebbw juggernaut was on everyone’s lips at Church Bank after the league leaders continued their rich vein of form by overcoming second-placed Llandovery in confident and emphatic style, writes Huw S Thomas.

It looks a racing certainty that the Steelmen will finish top of the SRC table after the regular programme of games and anyone wishing to deny them the title will have to go and turn them over at Eugene Cross Park in the looming play-offs.

Coach Jason Strange and his charges will have an eye on emulating Llandovery’s 2023-2024 annus mirabilis achievement of the treble – top of the table, play-off champions and Cup winners.

The Drovers have now lost their last three games and are in danger of losing out on a top four spot – and its play-off advantage of a home quarter-final draw.

Of their remaining four league games, three are away at Pontypool, Bridgend and Aberavon, one at home against Cardiff and they will - at the very least - need to win two of these games to get into the top four.

Both captain Lee Rees and coach Euros Evans - interviewed on television - were in sombre moods after losing out to Ebbw in all phases.

“We are hugely disappointed that we were outplayed in all areas of the game,” said Evans. “And we must turn things around quickly after such a barren pointless holiday trio of games.

“We have a short break to work on areas where we fell short and then get going in the Cup on January 24 when we entertain Swansea.”

“We can play far better than we did today,” he said.

To be fair to Evans - Llandovery’s most successful ever coach - he has committed to give as much game time as possible to many young and up-and-coming Scarlets at a time when a handful of loyal servants are close to hanging up their boots.

The likes of lock Will Evans, flanker Dan Gemine, hooker Harry Thomas and prop Tom Phillips - all 20 years of age - centre Gryff Watkins (19) and flanker Dan Kossuth (18) all had time to experience the harsh reality of the competitive SRC.

All-rounded Ebbw squeezed the life out of the outmuscled Drovers by doing the fundamentals better, striking when the opportunity arose and refusing to take a backward step in defence.

As a team, they were miles ahead of Llandovery on the day but also had talented individuals to call on.

Fly-half Evan Lloyd controlled the back play, centres Dom Franchi and Ethan Phillips tested the home defence with straight, hard running, whilst No 8 Ryan Jenkins and flanker Sion Parry were forces of nature in the loose.

There were the occasional flashes of individual brilliance in the Llandovery effort - the twinkling feet of wing Jac Davies, the turnovers from flanker Stuart Worrall and the line-out steals by lock Joe Powell – but there was a lack of cohesion between backs and forwards.

An early Lloyd penalty was soon trumped by Llandovery’s best moment of the match when good carries from hefty lock Will Evans and Worrall ended with centre Rhodri Jones putting in wing Kian Abraham.

The conversion by full-back Jack Maynard saw the Drovers in front after 10 minutes for the first and only time.

Precise and accurate thereafter, Ebbw led 17-7 at the break after tries that showed their versatility in a clear light.

Lloyd cut through cleverly between two defenders in midfield before feeding Parry who sent Franchi arrowing clear of the cover.

It was then the turn of the forwards when, after a dominant scrum, a trademark close range line-out take and unstoppable 20-metre surge worked in Canadian international Parry.

Franchi got his second try just after the break when the strapping Phillips shrugged off young Griffiths to put his co-centre striding in at the posts.

There was a glimmer of hope for the Drovers when prop Jamie Hughes did wonders to tap a five-metre penalty and somehow burrow through tacklers to bring it to 24-14.

But they could find no way through the Ebbw defence, their cause not helped by losing three line-outs in the opposition 22.

Wing Morgan Richards was refused a try for an earlier forward pass from Lloyd but Parry was soon on hand to put the excellent Jenkins over for the bonus point.

Lloyd kicked a penalty as his forwards turned the screw and the visitors ended in style when a loose Llandovery pass was picked up by replacement flanker Cam Davies who galloped away from despondent cover.

It was fitting that S4C Man of the Match Lloyd kicked the final conversion for a personal tally of 16 points to seal Ebbw’s most impressive win of the season.

It will take some team to beat the Steelmen - home or away.

For the Drovers, a nervous end to the regular season awaits when the league restarts with an away game at Bridgend on March 21.

Llandovery

Tries: K Abraham, J Hughes

Cons: J Maynard (2)

Ebbw Vale

Tries: D Franchi (2), S Parry, R Jenkins C Davies

Cons: E Lloyd (5)

Pens: E Lloyd (2)

Llandovery: J Maynard; K Abraham, G Watkins, R Jones, J Davies; I Hughes, L Rees (capt); J Hughes, C Lewis, B Watkins, W Evans, J Powell, D Gemine, O Davies, S Worrall

Replacements: H Thomas, T Phillips, G Hawley, G Evans, D Kossuth, E Sheldon, G MacDonald

Ebbw Vale: M Richards; D Thomas, E Phillips, D Franchi, E Bowden; E Lloyd, R Harries; L Garrett, J Franchi (capt), M Bosanko, D Bartlett, C Gregory, J Pope, R Jenkins, S Parry

Replacements: M Williams, A Williams, , I Morris, A Bateman-Lloyd, L Young, D Edwards, G Tough, C Davies