AFTER two narrow losses, Chepstow 1st XV revelled in the mud on Saturday as they secured a 27-10 home win over RTB Ebbw Vale, lifting them back to third in WRU East 3.

Having been denied at the death 25-24 by Caerleon and 33-30 by Machen, the Wyesiders wanted to get back in the saddle, which started with a fantastic diving finish from Taylor Reid.

This was followed up fairly quickly by Tommy Bradley who ran a lovely inside line to go under the sticks.

RTB managed to bring the scores back level quickly after half-time, but not for long, as Sam Thomas crossed for a try to put Chepstow back in front.

And after continued pressure and territory, Reid got his second with a mazy run before Will Miles, back from injury, managed to hit a line and battle his way over to leave the final score 27-10.

Meanwhile, Chepstow Druids headed over to Bristol to face St Mary’s, where the hosts put out a well-drilled and young side that proved to be too much for their visitors, who lost out 41-10.

There were two tries from the Druids, scored by Rob Pickup and Steve Volau, who later suffered a nasty head knock.

Chepstow 1st XV are back on the road this Saturday (January 31) as they travel to face Gwernyfed, with the side looking to build momentum and reassert their promotion credentials as the business end of the season approaches.

Elsewhere, Caldicot face a tough test away at Newport Saracens as they look to maintain consistency in a competitive East 2 division, while attention will also turn to player availability and squad rotation following a physically demanding weekend of rugby across the region, with conditions expected to remain challenging.