The Malta rugby team’s quest to win promotion from the FIRA-AER Division 2A enters a decisive stage in the next two weeks as, on Saturday, they host Switzerland at the Hibs Stadium before travelling to group leaders the Netherlands the following week.
Malta coach Damien Neill, wary of the dangers of looking too far ahead, is focusing all his energies on the home date with the Swiss who are currently level with Malta in second place on five points, three adrift of the Netherlands.
“The match against Switzerland will be a massive test for us,” Neill told a news conference at the Hibs Stadium yesterday.
“The Swiss have been a big revelation in our section. After winning promotion in impressive fashion, they opened their commitments with an eye-catching 29-20 victory over Croatia and then put up a stirring fight in a 24-7 defeat against the Dutch.
“No doubt, we will have to be on top of our game if we are to make it two wins in a row and I’m hopeful that the fans will again come to the stadium on Saturday to urge our players on.”
In their last home qualifier, in November, Malta trounced Lithuania 34-17.
Saturday’s match against Switzerland also has major significance for Malta’s ambitions to progress to the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers as the team that finishes top of Division 2A will be involved in a play-off against the top side in Division 2B, currently occupied by Israel.
Neill is buoyed by a full-strength squad for Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 2pm.
The Malta coach has called a 26-man party which includes three new faces, namely Patrick Martin, John Ellul and Edward Attard. Kyle Mason, who turned out for the English navy yesterday, joins the squad today.
“All players in our squad are in top shape and hopefully we will remain free of injuries over the next two weeks,” Neill said.
“In the past 12 months, the team has improved significantly and the players are keen to leave their mark for the national side.
“Unfortunately the financial situation of the MRFU is not very good at the moment but all the players have accepted to fork out money to ensure we have the funds for the travelling arrangements. Their attachment to the national team shirt is outstanding.”
For his part, Martin Galea, president of the Malta Rugby Football Union, announced that the sponsorship agreement with Mediterranean Bank has been extended for another year.
“This is great news for the rugby community in Malta,” Galea said.
“Mediterranean Bank’s support has been very important to us and we are delighted to have them in our ranks for the next 12 months.
“We are also indebted to our two other main sponsors, Farsons and Gasan Mamo, for their vital support.”
The squad
K. Mason, A. Livesey, D. Holliday, A. Kennedy, P. Martin, J. Ellul, D. Cerketa, C. Schranz, J. Cutajar, C. Cassar, S. Borg, D. Deguara, L. Watts, D. Apsee, T. Holloway, V. Stivala, M. Camilleri, J. O’Brien, T. Quarandon, D. Busuttil, M. Attard, R. Borg, E. Attard, R. Holloway, J. Morris, N. Wright.
Standings: Netherlands (2-0-0) 8; Malta (1-0-1) 5; Switzerland (1-0-1) 5; Croatia (1-0-1) 4; Lithuania (0-0-2) 0.
Malta hope to reproduce their strong performance against Lithuania when they host Switzerland on Saturday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli