Ebbw Vale have reached the Principality Premiership final for the second successive season after ending Llandovery's 'double' dreams with a 20-16 triumph at Church Bank.
The Steelmen were never behind in a game that was tense from start to finish and will now get the change to gain revenge on reigning champions Pontypridd at Sardis Road in a repeat of last season's final.
Ebbw Vale took the lead when the Welsh Rugby Writers' Club's Premiership player of the year, Ronnie Kynes, converted a driving line-out into yet another try in the 24th minute. Dai Langdon's conversion hit the upright, but the outside half was bang on target for the rest of the game.
Seven days after they beat Carmarthen Quins to the SSE Swalec Cup at the Principality Stadium, the Drovers found themselves further behind on the half-hour when Ebbw Vale full back Dan Haymond brilliantly returned a Llandovery clearing kick with some neat footwork and cleared a path to the line for Jared Rosser.
This time Langdon added the extras from a wide angle to give the visitors a 14 point lead. Llandovery responded with a try from back row dynamo Shaun Miles, which Jack Maynard converted, but a Langdon penalty on the stroke of half-time made it 16-8 to his side at the break.
Tight head prop Gethin Robinson picked up a yellow card from referee Craig Evans for an illegal entry to a ruck just before half-time, but Ebbw Vale didn't concede while he was away. No sooner had he returned than Langdon kicked a penalty o stretch the lead to 10 points and he landed another on the hour to leave Llandovery with a mountain to climb in the final quarter.
They gave it a real go, however, and when Richard Brookes was driven over for another catch and drive try with 15 minutes to go it was 'game-on' again. Maynard added the conversion and suddenly the gap was reduced to a mere four points.
But Nigel Davies' men were able to keep their composure and ride out the storm to reach the final for a second time. The question now is can they stop Pontypridd making it a record five Premiership titles in a row?
