Joe Franchi: Ebbw Vale need best game to beat Llandovery
The Steelmen host Premiership champions Llandovery in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12.15pm, S4C) with the prize of either facing Cardiff at the Arms Park or hosting Newport a week on Sunday.
Ebbw, SRC Challenger Shield holders, crucially earned home advantage for the play-offs by finishing second in the regular season behind the Blue and Blacks.
Jason Strange's men were given a tough time by Carmarthen Quins in the quarters last weekend but got the job done 45-35.
Courtesy of a draw bracket that strangely puts first against third and second versus fourth, they now face a Drovers side who are hunting a third title on the spin and who beat them 39-7 in March's SRC Cup final.
Crucially, this time it's on Ebbw soil and that gives Franchi & Co a real shot avoiding the same fate as last season, when overpowered by Newport at Spytty Park in the last four.
THROW: Ebbw Vale captain Joe Franchi at the lineout (Image: NCR Photography)
'We had a good regular season when finishing second and want to go a bit better than last year by getting into the final, and then hopefully get some silverware,' said hooker Franchi, a Premiership title winner with the Steelmen in 2016.
'We have kicked on and are in a better place than last year after some good additions to give us an extra edge.
'We've played Llandovery three times already this season and are 2-1 up but we are under no illusions about what it will take.
'They are probably the best attacking side in the league so we will have to be on our mettle defensively.
'We back ourselves at home and our unbeaten run gives us confidence but I'd say it will take our best performance of the season to get the victory and move on to the final.'
It's fair to assume that Franchi will be at the heart of the effort against the Drovers after a remarkable try-scoring season.
The hooker has so far chalked up 25 scores – perhaps the 'Catch 'n' Kynes' that helped Ebbw to the title nine years ago will be renamed.
ANOTHER: Joe Franchi went over for a hat-trick for Ebbw against Carmarthen Quins (Image: NCR Photography)
'There's only one Ronnie Kynes! I'm driving the bus this year and we work so hard on our maul,' said Franchi.
'It's not just a case of sticking our heads in and seeing what happens, there is a lot in the process and the work has shown with the tries scored by me and Ieuan [Morris, his fellow hooker who is on 10].
'It's a great weapon and one that we will try to use on Saturday but you can't be one-dimensional at this stage of the season. We have other tricks up our sleeve but always have the lineout drive to go back to.'
Franchi's twin Dom returns to the XV at inside centre while full-back Morgan Richards and wing Ieuan Evans also start, with no changes up front.
Ebbw Vale: Morgan Richards; Ieuan Evans, Ethan Phillips, Dom Franchi, Ryan Gardner; Evan Lloyd, Gruff Tough; Luke Garrett, Joe Franchi (captain), Adam Williams, Dylan Bartlett, Curtis Gregory, Jack Pope, Sion Parry, Ryan Jenkins.
Replacements: Ieuan Morris, Morgan Williams, Adam Court, Cam Regan, Lewis Young, Rory Harries, Cameron Davies, Ewan Bowden.
Llandovery: To come
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Motherwell majority shareholder: VAR makes fan experience 'significantly worse', as call made for wider debate on technology
It comes as a majority of fans expressed their frustrations over the technology in a recent survey Motherwell's majority shareholder has called for a wider discussion over VAR in Scottish football after none of their members backed the technology in its current form during a consultation. Fans were almost equally split on whether VAR should be scrapped immediately or "fundamentally reformed" but none of the supporters who took part in the Well Society survey felt VAR should remain unchanged. Less than one per cent were "unsure". A total of 63 per cent of respondents said they did not support VAR in Scottish football while 60 per cent said the use of the video technology had made their experience as a supporter "significantly worse". A Well Society statement read: "Fans spoke about long delays, a lack of clear communication, inconsistent decisions, and a growing sense of disconnect between those in the stands and those officiating on the pitch. "Rather than building trust in decisions, many feel VAR has done the opposite, creating more distance between supporters and the game itself. "Some still see potential for technology to play a role in football, if used in the right way. But the overwhelming feeling from our fan base is that VAR, as it stands in Scotland, is simply not working. A system designed to bring clarity has, for many, only added more confusion." The use of video technology to aid match officials was brought into the Premiership in October 2022 and a number of managers have expressed their frustration over its implementation since then. Well Society director David Cullinan added: "As a fan-owned club, we have a duty to listen. This wasn't about grabbing attention. It was about listening to what our supporters really think. And they've made it clear that VAR, as things stand, is letting them down. "The Society will be taking their views on board and working on a plan of action, which we'll share with members in due course. "This is just the start of a wider discussion, and we're calling on clubs across Scotland to stand with their supporters and be part of it."
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Airdrie hero says no fallout in New Broomfield exit, as he dismisses Accies return rumours
Defender Craig Watson on leaving the Diamonds after a mostly successful four-year spell Craig Watson says there was no fallout at Airdrie and it was just time for something new, as he severed a four-year spell at the club. Watson didn't play as often as he would have liked last season, making only 28 appearances, and was made captain for a shadow team in their last home league game of the season, a 0-0 draw with Ayr United. The defender is looking for his next step, and hopes to have something sorted out within the next week or so, but is remaining tight-lipped. But the former Hamilton Accies and East Fife defender has fond memories of winning promotion to the Championship, winning the SPFL Trust Trophy and going into the Premiership play-offs, before fighting relegation at the end of last season. Watson, 30 and nicknamed 'Janny' said: 'It's just time to move on. It was a mutual decision, we shook hands, everything's left on good terms, and I wish the club nothing but success in the future. 'I had a great four years, but I just felt it was time for a new challenge in my career. 'It was great at Airdrie – at the end of every season there was something to play for, even in the final season. 'Though it's not the play-offs we would have liked to have been in at the start of the season, it was still meaningful, important games that you'll remember. 'It was a great time, a successful period. In the first year we got to the play-off finals, and had the lows of getting beat by Queen's Park, after being so confident going into it. 'We overcame that defeat and got promoted the next year, and followed that up with a cup win, which was great, to give the fans something to cheer about and remember. I was proud to be a part of that squad.' Watson can't say yet what his plans are for next season, but scotched online rumours of a return to Hamilton Accies. He said: 'There's nothing concrete just now, though I can't say too much. Over the next week or so hopefully things will be a lot clearer at my end. 'That's the first I've heard of Accies! I have ties with the club because that's where I came through the youth and made my first-team debut and what not. 'But that's just a rumour, I haven't heard anything. 'I want to continue playing at as high a level as possible. Championship would be fantastic, and I can't say anything at this moment in time, but hopefully in a week or two I'll be able to talk about it more.'
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Rebel league is not for the good of rugby, it is a simple cash grab
Watching the exciting Premiership semi-final between Bath and Bristol, I realised how much I enjoyed the game. We know the Premiership has its difficulties, but the present product is not one of them. This was a game that was as fast-paced and exciting as you could realistically hope to see. This reaction led me to revisit the news about the creation of R360. Their released prospectus for a rebel league proposes the establishment of a 'grand prix' model of 12 franchises (eight male; four female) and it has been reported that they want to attract the top 300 male and female players, many of whom have allegedly signed heads of agreement to participate. Figurehead Mike Tindall claimed in the prospectus that 'clubs around the world are feeling the strain and are being propped up by the international game,' and that 'rugby's lack of innovation and ability to change risks losing its appeal to new audiences and its younger market.' It is claimed that a mixture of Formula One, cricket's Indian Premier League and other institutional investors have expressed interest. There were widely reported aims of producing a 'faster-paced, more exciting format, and a focus on player and fan experience' and a league that 'emphasises player welfare, including mental health support and opportunities for players to build personal brands'. It is said the new teams will visit 16 international venues, including the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Nou Camp and MorumBIS in Sao Paulo. As there are no specifically named investors or broadcasters, and nor are there any details of where the proposed franchises are to be based, what is the reality? Take the less interesting, but crucial, issue of squad numbers. If you assume two thirds of the 300 players are proposed for the eight male teams, you get squads of 25. There is no way that a team carrying that size of squad could compete over the proposed two sets of eight games per season. Even if you had a realistic minimum of two players for each position you would need squads of 30, and just a couple of injuries to props would mean teams could not cover the safety law requirements for specialist front-row replacements. A more realistic number of players would be a minimum of 500 but let us be generous and take 30 per squad. If you were to double the typical salary, as reported, then you could say eight 30-player squads of athletes on around £500,000 could cost £120 million per annum. The Premiership's current overall salary to total costs ratio is 45:55, so annual running costs for the new league could then be roughly £270 million a year. If you took a very, very substantial assumption that the new league would attract around the same annual broadcast income of all rugby's current major competitions, this would produce about £150 million, meaning to break even each of the 64 proposed games would need to make £1.9 million profit. This does not include costs on start-up or for staging games at the claimed venues. So again we ask: realistic or not? Now try doing the sums with 500 players. If R360 wants to make claims, it must answer questions properly. When they highlight the fan and player experience, what exactly do they mean and how will they improve it? It is not good enough to criticise without definition or rely on some Field of Dreams -like 'If you build it, they will come'. How do they propose to fulfil their stated aim for a faster-paced and more exciting game? Which laws, if any, are they going to change? These claims need evidencing and how will any proposed changes address their vaunted claim about player welfare? What do they propose for the British and Irish Lions? We go on. Where are these franchises to be based? The current Premiership proposals at least target existing clubs and supporters. Where will these new fans come from? I presume R360 think that international fans, and completely new supporters, can be converted with their new format, but there is little evidence that this is achievable. Without the support of the unions and World Rugby, the new league cannot exist and why would the current rugby structure allow R360 to simply take its best players, leaving the current, struggling structure to bear all the costs of grass-roots rugby, academy rugby and the emasculated professional leagues that would be left behind? Why would the current game allow a handful of venture capital firms or billionaires to walk off with its top assets without a fight? If it comes to a showdown, the only real sanction the unions have is to disbar R360's players from their international teams. It is a battle they do not need but would be forced to enter. What nobody dares say is that the central purpose of challenger brands like R360 is to damage existing and competing brands, like Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. This is not a proposal for the good of rugby – it is a simple cash grab.
