19th October 2013 - Club president Mark Powell QC presents Life Membership to two rugby legends.

Sorry it's cut short!

As REL says;
"We were honoured by the presence of two of our greatest former players who were made Life Members, an overdue occasion because Gareth Howls and Glyn Turner have been idolised, and I am not exaggerating, by Ebbw Vale rugby people for many years.

Added to the occasion was the news that Glyn and others have been awarded Welsh caps after a long campaign led by Clive Rowlands which recognises the undisputed fact that the players deserved them after playing for Wales in so-called unofficial matches. Saturday was genuine Ebbw, the current players coming up trumps once again and the former giants being officially recognised for their achievements.

Glyn was a great scrum-half a danger to opponents with lightning breaks and a wizard who scored 147 tries in 350 games for us before turning professional. His most famous try was in the Gwent v New Zealand match on our ground in 1972 when he sent Sid going the wrong way and dived over in the top corner on the bob bank side. There were over 20,000 watching but the only one not thrilled was the touch-judge who broke a leg in the melee! Another game to remember was in the Floodlit Alliance all-try encounter with Bridgend. We needed seven tries to go through to the next round and got them, Glyn scoring three.

Wales went to Argentina in 1968 without leading players on Lions duty but there was plenty of talent left over. The halves were Glyn Turner and Phil Bennett, JPR was full-back, John Dawes was captain and significantly as it has turned out Clive Rowlands was coach. Wales drew one Test and lost another, Glyn scoring a try in the first and playing outstandingly well in both.

Between 1964 and 1974 other "no cap" internationals were played against Fiji, Canada, Japan, Tonga and even New Zealand the latter occasion being bizarre to say the least. The Kiwis were on a short tour to Ireland to mark that country's centenary and fitted in a game at Cardiff. To avoid diminishing the attraction of the Dublin match the Arms Park clash was designated unofficial. How daft can you get?

Glyn was weaving his magic when Gareth Edwards was making 53 consecutive appearances for Wales and there were no replacements in his day. Times then changed and brief exits from the bench "earned" caps. Ebbw's scrum-half Richard Smith replaced Robert Howley in the dying minutes of the French game in 2000 and instantly became an international. Awarding caps for Barbarians games has added to the unfairness of it all but thankfully those denied them in the past and who did not go on to play for Wales are recognised and will be duly honoured at the Wales v Tonga international on Friday the 22nd of November.

Gareth Howls played for Wales B four times and is another of a great band of the "best uncapped," but we will remember him for playing 608 games for Ebbw Vale. He and Glyn will know what Gwent Derbies meant in Merit Table and Floodlit Alliance Days, and on Saturday our younger players will have a taste at Newbridge who celebrate their 125th anniversary this season. In 1925 Newbridge signed a 99 year lease of their ground for the enormous sum of one shilling (5p) a year. I hope they have kept up the payments.