EBBW Vale made a mockery of any suggestion they can't play open rugby after a vintage performance of attacking football saw them stun Cross Keys with a bonus point victory.

Their four-try blitz in the first half rocked the hosts after they had dominated the opening exchanges and built up a 6-0 lead.

Things had looked ominous for the Steelmen early on but they rallied manfully to blow Keys away in a remarkable first half as they turned a six-point deficit into a thoroughly deserved 28-6 lead at half time.

It made up for last week's disappointing 25-22 home defeat to Newport as well as late August's 16-13 loss to Keys in a British and Irish Cup play-off clash.

Vale were led superbly by their captain, man of the match Damien Hudd, and an excellent all-round team performance with star turns from hooker Matthew Williams and full back Craig Duncan.

Keys, after a stunning 30-24 victory over Cardiff last week, will have plenty of soul searching to do after their faltering scrum again left them down, along with a poor defence and sloppy, unstructured play.

Outside half Dorian Jones kicked two early penalties and they should have been even further up after a sparkling move saw blindside flanker Reuben Tucker crash over for what would have been a try of the season nomination but for the final pass to him to go marginally forward.

Vale hit back with a wonderful try, scored by wing Owen Williams after a lovely burst by Duncan, the score converted by fly half Iain Smerdon.

With their tails up after weathering that early storm, the Steelmen scored another fine try when some smart play by Smerdon put centre Tom Hiscock through a gap, Keys at sixes and sevens defensively.

Vale's No 10 stretched his side's lead to 14-6 just before the end of a fabulous first quarter with the conversion.

The Steelmen could have been further ahead after a lovely pop up pass by lock Hudd found scrum half Rhys Downes, but he didn't have the support to finish off the move.

The visitors started to run riot and Duncan crossed for their third try on the half an hour mark after scampering up the blindside, Smerdon's conversion rubbing salt into Keys' wounds for a thoroughly deserved 15-point lead.

Things got worse for the hosts when their lock Dan Hodge was yellow carded just before the interval.

It proved crucial as Downes got Vale's bonus point try just before half time whistle, his score effectively ending the game as a contest, Smerdon's fourth conversion making it 28-6.

The Steelmen began the second half camped in Keys territory and should have been further up only for the usually accurate Smerdon to miss a straight forward penalty.

Keys were given hope when Vale openside flanker Ronny Kynes was yellow carded for infringing at a ruck after 50 minutes.

But nothing went right for the hosts, opportunities to reduce the deficit spurned by bad handling and bad decisions.

They did make the breakthrough when more patient play saw Keys go through phase after phase before wing Nathan Trowbridge went over under the posts, the wing converting his own try.

Any hope of the comeback of all-time was soon snuffed out when Vale's dominant scrum won them a penalty which Smerdon slotted over from long range to make it 31-13.

The sin binning of replacement Keys prop Keegan Bale for disrupting a ruck added to his side's misery.

A magnificent individual converted try by Trowbridge gave the scoreline a hint of respectability and they desperately went in search of a losing bonus point but it was left to Vale's replacement No 10 Ethan Davies to have the last word with a late penalty.

Keys 'exciting young wing Lloyd Lewis nearly secured them what would probably been a losing bonus point with a late converted try only for the 18-year-old's foot to just brush the touchline after a sublime piece of work up the touchline.

Delighted Ebbw Vale head coach Jason Strange said: "Some of the rugby we played was fantastic and we spoke all week about how we needed to turn things around after losing to Newport.

"We had gone into our shells a bit in our first three league games but we were bold and brave and played the game at a really high tempo.

"I thought our leaders like captain Damien Hudd and Matthew Williams were superb."

If there was joy for the Steelmen, Keys director of rugby Jonathan Westwood was in despair after his side's display.

"That was the kind of performance that can cost jobs," he said in his frank assessment. "We looked uncoached and if the club decided to get rid of the management after that display, we'd have no answers."

Westwood added: "I've had some great days over the years since I've been with Keys, but that was one of the worst.

"That was simply unacceptable. We weren't honest enough or accurate enough and we have to improve."

Cross Keys: James Cordy-Redden (Elliot Jones 57), Lloyd Lewis, Leon Andrews (capt), Polu Uhi (Nathan Williams 57), Nathan Trowbridge, Dorian Jones, James Leadbeater, Luke Garrett (Keegan Bale 66), Darren Hughes (Jon Howard 60), Craig Gould (Anthony Lott 53), Danny Hodge, Simon Williams (Carl Townsend 60), Reuben Tucker (Josh Skinner 43), Scott Matthews, Adam Powell.

Replacement: Owen Jones.

Scorers: Tries - Nathan Trowbridge (65) (75), Conversion - Trowbridge (65), D Jones (75) Penalties - D Jones (4) (12)

Ebbw Vale: Craig Duncan, Wes Cunliffe, Tom Hiscock, Nathan Preece (Adam Jones 75), Owen Williams, Iain Smerdon (Ethan Davies 75), Rhys Downes (David Jones 75), Ross Jones (John Lavender 74), Matthew Williams (Rhys Francis 74), Gethin Robinson (Robert Sevenoaks 66), Damien Hudd (captain) (Rhys Clark 75), Ashley Sweet, Ronny Kynes, Cameron Regan, Harrison Keddie (Spencer Gibson 66).

Scorers: Tries - Owen Williams (15), Tom Hiscock (19), Craig Duncan (30), Rhys Downes (39), Conversions - Iain Smerdon (15) (19) (30) (39), Penalties - Smerdon (67), Ethan Davies (78)

Referee: Gwyn Morris (Cardiff)

Argus star man: Damien Hudd