Richards urges squad to focus on Latvia test

This afternoon Graham Richards' national team will be gunning for a second consecutive win in the European Nations Cup Group 3A qualifying group when playing guests to Latvia at the University Ground in Riga.

Last Saturday, the team showed great combative qualities against Serbia and Montenegro. Inspired by a superb kicking display from Rohan Spiteri, Malta recovered from a 5-11 first-half deficit to win the match 20-18.

Despite the favourable outcome there were some worrying factors for Richards. The team failed to settle down quickly and their nervous start was reflected in the poor defensive play as the Maltese conceded too many penalty kicks.

Richards is wary that a repeat of that performance could spell trouble today. The Latvians will be eager to put their campaign back on track after losing their previous qualifier against current leaders Moldova. They are third in the standings with four points behind Serbia. Malta is just one point behind Latvia but with a game in hand.

"We must be totally focused to beat Latvia," Richards said. "Against Serbia we were rather rusty at first and gave away too many a penalty... that left us with a mountain to climb.

"We now have to step up a level in our game because they will be playing at home in very difficult climatic conditions. We are expecting damp temperatures of 10°C. However, this is the best national team we've ever assembled and given the quality we have I'm confident we can chalk up another win."

Richards effected only one change in his squad, Kavallieri winger Chris Vassallo replacing full-back Mario Fountain, of Stompers. Spiteri was rated doubtful after suffering a knee injury last Saturday but the 23-year-old stand-off is expected to recover in time for today's match.

Jamie Caruana was an outstanding performer against Serbia in his first match in the Malta shirt. He was a pillar in defence. Today he is expecting another busy afternoon in the Baltic region.

"We have gathered very little information on our opponents so it's like making a step into the unknown," Caruana admitted. "But, this is a solid team and we have great faith in our potential.

"During the last two weeks of training we have strengthened our wide game. The pace of our forwards should be our main weapon in our coming matches."

The next couple of weeks are set to be highly exciting for Caruana. Today week, he will be playing at England's 'Home of Rugby', Twickenham, when he lines up with his Royal Navy team-mates to face the British Army, a clash likely to attract 40,000 spectators.

"That's going to be a great experience for me. Playing in Twickenham is a dream come true," he said. "Also a good performance in this match could be a boost for my ambition of playing professional rugby.

"I have already been approached by Plymouth, a Nationwide One side. Things are still in a preliminary stage but the transfer should be settled in the coming weeks. This is just the first step as I intend to enhance my career by joining a top club in future."

Results so far:
Hungary vs Moldova 17-35; Hungary vs Latvia 7-14; Serbia and Montenegro vs Hungary 31-3; Moldova vs Latvia 26-12; Malta vs Serbia and Montenegro 20-18.

Remaining matches:
(Today) Latvia vs Malta; (May 8) Serbia and Montenegro vs Moldova; (May 22) Latvia vs Serbia and Montenegro, Malta vs Hungary; (May 29) Moldova vs Malta.

Current standings:
Moldova (2-0) 6; Serbia and Montenegro (1-1) 4; Latvia (1-1) 4; Malta (1-0) 3; Hungary (0-3) 3.