'Tal-belt' to add more spice to MRFU league

New club Valletta Lions will be playing in the Malta Rugby Football Union competitions for the first time as from the new season which starts next month.

There was a very familiar face introducing the red-shirted players and officials to the media yesterday as Joe Caruana Curran spoke about his first connections with the rugby team a few months ago that developed progressively until he was appointed president.

"All this started during the Premier League celebrations of Valletta FC last May," Caruana Curran told reporters at the San Paolo Naufrago base, the home bar of Valletta Lions.

"This chap walked up and told me they had a rugby team but needed people with experience in administration. We met again a few more times and in a matter of weeks we got the whole thing going.

"I have to say this is a new ball game to me but the lads are showing great enthusiasm in all this and now that I'm in it I don't want to let them down."

The rugby team concept in the capital started during a chat session on the internet in September 2007 when some Valletta youths suggested they should have their own team in the national league.

The idea was only shared between six or seven individuals in the beginning and everything was in the dark at that stage. But then, one of them bumped into veteran Roger Davies, a former Welsh rugby league player who is retired in Malta.

"I've been living in Valletta for three years now," Davies said.

"I shifted to this island to relax and enjoy my retirement but I also wanted to start living the way the Maltese do. At first, when they approached me to start coaching the team I thought it was some sort of a joke but then I realised that this was a good occasion for me to get involved.

"We started training with a handful of guys but the numbers started to grow bigger and now I am conducting training regularly at St Aloysius with a squad of 30 players.

"I tell you I've been to different places but I've never seen such passion before. The people in Valletta have plenty of heart, they are determined and I think it is right for 'tal-belt' to have a team of their own in the rugby league.

"This is a magnificent city and its people are unique. Valletta Lions will surely add more lustre to the image of local rugby."

However, Davies knows that enthusiasm alone won't be enough to see them through in their Malta league debut.

"This will be a difficult season, no doubt," he said.

"I've been following the local game ever since I came here and I can tell you that Kavallieri and Stompers are miles ahead of us at the moment.

"We had to start from basics first and make sure that the players became well versed with the rules of the game. We had expert people lecturing our players.

"In our first season, we will be there to learn, hopefully quickly, and establish ourselves in the competition."

Caruana Curran is a former president at the Valletta football and waterpolo clubs and currently also the head of the snooker and billiards association. He reckons it was a good decision for him to join the rugby organisation and sees a bright future for the team.

"At first, I felt slightly uneasy but then I noticed that those responsible to launch Valletta Lions really meant business and they were taking things very seriously," he said.

"The coach is a dedicated man and the players rarely miss training. We also have a player from Gozo who is in the squad and the club secretary, Ritienne Bondin, is a former rugby player herself. Our supporters club is slightly moving into motion as well.

"As the coach rightly said, our debut will not be all too rosy in the national league but to play honourably and participate will be our top priorities for now. We had a couple of friendlies so far and our performances were encouraging... we also had a sizeable crowd supporting us.

"In future, we intend to continue growing and, perhaps, bear the fruit of all this good work in a few years' time."

Valletta Lions have only been around since last summer officially but they have already secured the backing of their main sponsors, General Soft Drinks and Urban Jungle, among others. The shirt sponsors are Stella Artois and the players will be clad in Nike outfits.

The Lions play their first official match in the Cisk Lager League qualifying round, starting on November 9. Their opponents are Overseas RUFC.