A HEROIC performance by Ebbw Vale wasn’t enough to beat deserved champions Pontypridd who won their fourth successive Principality Premiership title following their Grand Final triumph in a blood and thunder clash at Sardis Road.

The Steelmen gave everything they had but beating Ponty proved to be just one step beyond for brave Ebbw.

There was to be no fairytale ending to their super season, their first back in Welsh club rugby’s elite since 2010 after their promotion from the Swalec Championship last year.

At one stage deep in the first half, with the balance delicately poised with the score at 11-9, the Steelmen had the hosts seriously worried.

But a yellow card just before the interval proved so costly for head coach Jason Strange and his gutsy side.

Played in front of a huge partisan crowd at Sardis Road that brought back memories of Pontypridd’s halcyon 1990s days.

Vale’s fans more than played their part in the electric atmosphere, the Steelmen bringing around a 1,000 of their wonderful supporters who filled the standing area opposite the grandstand.

Intense early pressure came from Ponty with fly half Simon Humberstone nearly crossing in the opening minutes only for Lewis I Williams to have a foot in touch before he got his pass away.

As it was though, the hosts did take the lead after Humberstone slotted a penalty.

Things soon got worse for Vale when Ponty scored the opening try, number eight Jake Thomas crashing over from driving lineout to make it 8-0 after as many minutes.

Visiting centre Carl Meyer got the Steelmen back in the game when he slotted a 40-metre penalty.

But Humberstone soon restored Ponty’s eight-point lead when he cancelled it our with a shot at goal of his own after Ebbw were penalised for holding on in the tackle.

Despite being under enormous pressure at the scrum, Ebbw won a penalty after just holding on to the ball, Meyer’s kicking it despite slipping just before he connected and it was 11-6 after 20 minutes.

The visitors went close to drawing level with a rumbling rolling maul but were denied just short of the Ponty try-line.

With the hosts giving away a plethora of penalties at the breakdown, they conceded another in front of the posts which Vale fly half Iain Smerdon put over.

Ebbw had Ponty and the Sardis Road faithful truly rattled after the hosts’ confident start.

A pivotal moment, just before half-time, was the yellow carding of the Steelmen’s all-action loosehead prop John Lavender.

The Blaenau Gwent men managed to keep Ponty out, although their wing Williams came within an ace of a dramatic interception try.

But the killer came for Vale in the dying seconds of a pulsating first 40 minutes when Ponty openside flanker Rhys Shellard crossed under the posts for a converted try to make it 18-9 and not 11-9 after the visitors failed to secure scrum ball on their own put-in.

There was an early chance in the second half for Vale to exploit an overlap, only for a pass to go a mile forward.

Basic errors hampered the visitors as they battled to get back into the match that began to slip away from them.

Looking tired, they were exposed when Humberstone was allowed in too easily for Ponty’s third try, which went unconverted, to build a 23-9 lead.

Vale refused to throw in the towel and battered the Ponty line only time and time again only for their opponents to hold firm.

Even after home side Craig Locke was yellow carded in the 68th minute, Ebbw just couldn’t break the stubborn resistance.

They did get the consolation try their richly deserved when centre Jordan Howells crossed in the dying minutes for an unconverted score.

Vale went in search of more points but it was Ponty wing Owen Jenkins who had the last word with his breakaway unconverted try.

Pontypridd: M Nuthall, L I Williams, G Dacey, D Lockyer (capt), O Jenkins, S Humberstone, T Williams (J Raikes 77), C Phillips (J Howe 54), L Belcher (H Dowden 72), D Lewis (P Palmer 72), C Locke, C Dicomidis (A Jones 76), W O’Connor, R Shellard, J Thomas (D Godfrey 66).

Scorers: Tries – Thomas, Shellard, Humberstone, Jenkins, Conversions – Humberstone, Penalties – Humberstone (2).

Ebbw Vale: D Haymond (A Jones 54), O Williams, J Howells, C Meyer, T James, I Smerdon (D Langdon 73), C Thomas (R Downes 45), J Lavender (R Jones 73), M Williams (R Francis 73), R Sevenoaks (L Leddington 77), D Hudd (capt), A Sweet, R Clarke (G Rusby-Davies 77), R Kynes (G Williams 77), C Regan (R Jones 38-45).

Scorers: Try – Howells, Penalties – Meyer (2), Smerdon.

Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)