Interview with Ebbw Vale Head Coach Jason Strange

Ebbw Vale are the new kids on the block in the Welsh Premiership this season. The Gwent men, who have dominated the Championship for the last few years, were finally granted entry to the Welsh Premiership at the end of last season. The top league had been ring-fenced for two years but was finally reopened to promotion and relegation, with the Eugene Cross Park outfit returning to the top flight. Ebbw Vale were led back to the top by Head Coach, Jason Strange. The former outside-half has a strong link to the club, having started his career at Ebbw Vale as an 18-year-old. His career has come full circle, via Bristol and Leeds Carnegie; he is now the boss at Eugene Cross Park and I had a chat to Strange ahead of the new season.

Ebbw Vale win a line out

    It is an exciting time in North Gwent, the Steelmen are back in the Premiership and have recently hosted their first Dragons game. The fixture, that saw the Dragons defeat Northampton, is an occasion that possibly came ten years too late. The head coach, who was in attendance, commented that “it was a success and credit goes to the Dragons for bringing the game to Ebbw Vale”.

    When asked whether we might see Guinness Pro12 games at Eugene Cross Park in the future the coach was less certain. He said “It is out of our control, but we have had lots of dialogue with the Dragons over the past few months, hopefully this will continue.” This relationship has not been the smoothest since the regions came into existence eleven years ago. However, Strange added that, “there is definitely scope for more games at Eugene Cross Park.”

   And so the former outside-half and I spoke business. Ebbw Vale have made a big step this season and will face Premiership outfits such as Pontypridd, Llanelli and Neath next year, all huge names in Welsh rugby. However, the coach is confident; he tells me that pre-season has gone well. Although he admits they have been away “a bit longer than he would have liked”.

   Ebbw Vale have made a lot of home improvements over the summer. Jason Strange told me, “there has been a lot of work on and off the field, we have managed to improve the grounds facilities again, something that needed to do two years ago but due to finance we had to delay.” Ebbw Vale have upgraded their floodlights to professional standard in order to show televised games. They also have an upgraded gymnasium, covered terrace and a new £15 million sports centre with a 4G pitch for training use in the winter.

   The money that Ebbw Vale have spent in the off-season has all come from their recent success. The coach told me that “we have almost doubled season ticket sales from this time last year. Just as important we have sold all sponsorship, jersey and advertising boards. That is a huge contribution.” Rugby is now a business and the off-field performance is as important as the on-field performances.

   Many people reading this will not have seen Ebbw Vale play in a long time and will be looking forward to seeing their highlights back on Scrum V. I asked the coach who the ‘star men’ are and who will stand out. He told me that Lock and Captain, Damian Hudd is one to watch. Full of praise for the lock Strange said, “If we had him in his early 20s, he would have been a professional player and maybe even achieved further honours.” They have also added Gethin Robinson to what was already a strong front-row. Strange, told me that "Gethin Robinson’s regional experience could be important for the team."

   However, in their first competitive match of the season the Steelmen lost in the British and Irish Cup to Cross Keys. Strange, was disappointed by the result but said, "It will add to our motivation in both the Premiership and the Swalec Cup, but if you’d asked me last Saturday I would not have been quite so philosophical!" This is of course a steep learning curve for the club, but they seem to be taking it all in their stride. The disappointment felt, as a result of failing to reach the British and Irish Cup pool stage, was clear from the coach as he said "our squad would have been capable to accept the challenge and wanted to be part of it but it won’t end our season."

Ebbw Vale's Home at Eugene Cross Park

   The big question is, will Ebbw Vale’s performances on the pitch be good enough to keep them in the Welsh Premiership? Jason Strange is adamant that they will. Whilst discussing the recent change in the Premierships promotion policy he says, “The game is built on competition, that means promotion and relegation which provides competition every week. I could tell you out of self-interest that I want the Premiership ring-fenced for the next three years to maintain our position but as a club we have been denied promotion on a number of occasions, it's not a nice place to be." said Strange.

   The Ebbw Vale man was bullish in saying “even though we have just gone up, if you finish bottom you do not deserve to be in league.” Ebbw Vale expect to be in the Premiership next year and having spoken to both players and coaches, being relegated is not on their radar. Ebbw Vale begin their league campaign at home to Llandovery on September 13^th. Head Coach Jason Strange has set the standards - can the Steelmen deliver?