Spirits are high at the Malta Rugby Football Union after a major boost on Saturday with the national team’s merited 21-14 win over Croatia lifted them off bottom place of the FIRA-AER Division 2A.
Damien Neill’s men entered Saturday’s qualifier at the Hibs Stadium under huge pressure after back-to-back defeats to Lithuania, the current leaders of the group, and Latvia, had left the team in danger of losing their status in the continental game.
However, any fears of another disappointing afternoon were dispelled as the Maltese put up a disciplined display against the physically-imposing Croatia to secure a priceless victory that also meant Malta improved three places to no.50 in the World rankings.
Last weekend, Lithuania crushed Latvia 57-3 in Vilnius.
Malta are now third in the standings on seven points, three adrift of Lithuania and two behind Sweden, our opponents on Saturday.
Neill said: “Beating Croatia was a must for us. Morale was down after two defeats but the players rose to the occasion and I think that of Saturday was our best performance for years. After the match there was a lot of noise in our dressing room as everyone realised the importance of this win.
“Now we are back in control of our destiny and that is very important. In my opinion, we should have been top of the group after three matches as in Lithuania some poor referee decisions cost us the match and we should have never thrown away such a healthy lead against Latvia.
“But now that’s in the past and we should focus on our next matches which are going to be very difficult.”
Next up is an away assignment in Stockholm against Sweden who beat Croatia (away) and Lithuania (home) in their first two outings.
“In the last campaign we beat Sweden twice but now they’re a changed side. Their federation is benefiting from IRB funding and that has made a huge difference to them as can be seen by the results obtained.
“Some of their players are based in the UK and they know everything on our own foreign-based players. Still, we shall try to win the match and give them a stern challenge on Saturday.”
The Malta coach has one major worry ahead of the trip up north as back rower Paul Calgaro is facing a race against time to prove his fitness after aggravating a knee injury against Croatia.
“I hope that Paul recovers as he is a key member in our team,” Neill said.
“However, if he fails to make it we still have other options as Chris Vassallo is a valid replacement. Mark Davey is also out with shoulder trouble.
“As for the others we’re keeping fingers crossed that everyone stays fit.”
Neill has now been in charge of the national team for seven years. His position also involves being responsible for the development of the game in Malta.
Earlier this year, he reached an agreement with the Scottish Rugby Football Union for Maltese coaches to continue developing their techniques in the UK.
Neill has also been working hard to maintain the MRFU’s drive to build a strong platform at grassroots level.
In fact, in the past few years hundreds of schoolchildren had a first taste of the sport and four clubs have now set up their own youth teams.
“It’s a known secret that to produce a valid player you need ten years so we have to start with schoolchildren first to secure the future of our national team,” Neill said.
“Our projects with youngsters are bearing fruit as earlier this year two youth selections competed in a quadrangular tournament against sides from England and Wales.
“The experience was very positive as our teams showed that they are not lagging too far behind despite starting playing at a later stage than their foreign peers.
“One of our teams also reached the final and lost by a single try and that was really amazing.
“Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do but the future looks bright.”
Current standings
1. Lithuania (2-0-1) 10; 2. Sweden (2-0-0) 9; 3. Malta (1-0-2) 7; 4. Latvia (1-0-2) 6; 5. Croatia (1-0-2) 5.
Next fixtures
Saturday: Croatia vs Lithuania; Sweden vs Malta.
May 14: Latvia vs Sweden.