Cardiff overcame a combative Vale side to collect their first league win of the season.

The home team, with seven players aged 23 or under - including the whole front-row - hammered at the Vale line throughout the opening quarter, but the visiting defence held firm.

Fly-half Nicky Robinson missed a simple penalty before Cardiff finally made the breakthrough after 22 minutes.

Match details

Cardiff (7) 34 Tries: Walne (2), Dewdney, M Williams Cons: N Robinson (4) Pens: N Robinson (2) Ebbw Vale (3) 6 Pens: Shelbourne (2) Att: 4,000

Cardiff flanker Martyn Williams scored the first try after fellow flanker Dan McShane produced a neat sleight of hand to present him an easy chance under the posts. Robinson converted.

Vale's sporadic attacks were largely inspired by scrum-half Brian Shelbourne, but he pushed two penalties wide before finally succeeding in first-half injury time.

Teenage debutant John Yapp was yellow-carded early in the second half for killing the ball - the eighth card shown to a Cardiff prop this season - and Shelbourne kicked the resulting penalty.

But Robinson replied with two of his own before the sin-bin period was up.

In the first half we tried a lot, but their defence shut us out Cardiff winger Nick Walne

The young fly-half then showed his running ability with a loop around Matt Allen to send Walne in for a converted try that gave Cardiff some breathing space.

Man-of-the-match Walne collected a second touchdown after good work by Allen.

And with Vale now offering little resistance, Robinson cut through to put winger Dean Deuney over for an injury-time try.

The fly-half converted both and Cardiff deservedly collected their first league points.

Cardiff: D van Vuuren; A Sullivan, N Walne, M Allen, D Dewdney; N Robinson, R Powell; T Payne, G Woods, J Yapp, A Jones, J Tait, D McShane, E Lewis, M Williams (capt).
Reps: D Young, L Collins, L Tait, D Baugh, R Smith, I Harris, R Williams.

Ebbw Vale: Davies; Wakeley, Shorney, Bingham, A Bevan; Mitchell, Shelbourne; Black, Phillips, M Jones, Booyse, N Edwards, Billen (capt), R Williams, Tuipulotu.
Reps: Takarangi, Meenan, T Morris, Penisini, J Evans, Sidoli, Thomas.

Referee: David R Davies (Llanbrathach)