CAPTAIN Ronny Kynes has urged Ebbw Vale to relish their underdog status when they attempt to derail Cardiff’s impressive start to the Principality Premiership East, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Steelmen head to the capital propping up their conference after losses to Pontypridd, Cross Keys and Newport following an opening day win at Bargoed.

Meanwhile the Blue and Blacks are four from four and looking like serious contenders to take the eight points on offer for topping the pile in the east.

Ebbw endured a nightmare finish to their derby against Newport last weekend when they lost 27-25 with the last kick of the game after battling back from 24-8 down at Eugene Cross Park.

“The frustrating thing is that we are not a million miles away and we could easily have made a good start to the season,” said flanker Kynes.

“We could’ve won against Ponty, we’ll admit we weren’t at the races against Keys but then we could have beaten Newport if we hadn’t made a poor start.

“It’s not as though teams are hammering us and we know that we do have the ability to be winning these games, we just have to cut out the errors and take more opportunities.

“I think that everyone is writing us off at the moment but we can be dangerous when that happens.”

This weekend sees Kynes go up against the man who made him a Steelman with Ebbw’s former head coach Neil Edwards part of the management team at the Arms Park.

“I was signed by ‘Nelly’ and he knows a lot of the boys here,” said Kynes. “He will make sure that Cardiff have a good lineout and they will be a real handful up front.

“They are flying at the moment and will play at a high tempo on their 3G pitch but there is no hiding place for us and we are excited by the challenge.”

Ebbw have won all five games with Cardiff since returning to the Premiership, two of them in the capital.

The teams met just once last season with Ebbw sneaking a 24-20 victory at Eugene Cross Park.

Kynes scored a hat-trick in the last game in Cardiff when Ebbw ran out comprehensive 34-14 winners in the title-winning 2015/16 campaign.