Rugby
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Malta blitz Croatia to take charge of group
Damian Neill’s national team produced another terrific performance, putting together some great passages of play and showing perfect cohesion as they beat Croatia 56-8 in their Conference 1 South match. Coach Neill was seeking an improvement in...
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Neill demands improved display from Maltese side
Following last week’s 52-20 rout of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Malta Rugby team, ranked 42, will be striving to extend their perfect start as they will host 54th–ranked Croatia in their second test of the 2018 Europe Conference 1 South...
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Rampant Malta Rugby crush Bosnia
The Malta rugby national team kicked off their commitments in the Rugby Europe Conference One South in style when they brushed aside Bosnia Herzegovina 52-20 in Zenica. It was a dominant performance from Damian Neill’s men who recovered from a...
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All Blacks set to say goodbye to 'Professor' Smith
All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith will end his 20-year association with the team on Saturday when they face Australia in their final Bledisloe Cup match of the season. There is unlikely to be any parades or statues unveiled in his hometown of...
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Spanish female referee to officiate men's international rugby match
Rugby union history will be made in Helsinki on Saturday when Spanish female referee Alhambra Nievas takes charge of a men's international match between Finland and Norway. It will be the first time a woman has refereed a competitive men's...
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Tough weekend for national team in Prague
Last week, the women’s national team was in Ostrava for the Rugby Europe Women’s 7s Trophy. The Maltese girls earned the right to compete in the high-level tournament after winning promotion as runners-up of the Women’s 7s Conference last year...
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Czechs too strong for Malta
The Czech Republic securedpromotion to the European Nations Trophy Division after defeating Malta 48-14 in Prague yesterday. The Maltese fought valiantly to try and upset their more-quoted opponents but the Czechs turned out to be a step too far...
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MRFU chief plea for financial aid ahead of play-off
Malta Rugby Football Union president Steve Busuttil yesterday made a passionate plea for the authorities to step up their assistance to his sport as the national team prepares for Saturday’s crucial promotion play-off against the Czech Republic,...
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Stompers crowned champions
Stompers 43Swieqi Overseas 38 (after extra-time; 80 mins: 24-24) This was a game fitting of a Grand Final. It had everything, passion, drama, high emotion, disappointments, challenges and victories, the kind of game that neither side deserved to...
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Overseas win thrilling final
Swieqi Overseas 30Stompers 29 In a game that swung from one end of the field to the other, Swieqi Overseas won the Mediterranean Bank Cup by the slimmest of margins at the expense of Stompers. Overseas started the game at express speed with their...
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Rugby: Battling Malta secure top spot
Croatia 14Malta 14 The Malta rugby national team secured top spot in the Conference 1 South when they battled to a 14-14 draw against Croatia in Zagreb yesterday. Coming into the match with a perfect record of four wins out four, Damian Neill’s...
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Malta look to seal top spot in Croatia
The Malta rugby national team will seal top spot in Conference 1 South 1 with victory over Croatia in Zagreb this afternoon (kick-off: 2pm). Damian Neill’s men have enjoyed a perfect campaign so far as last weekend’s 39-17 win over Israel at the...
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Overseas power their way to victory
Overseas 38Falcons 7 A lot was riding on this Cisk Lager League game in which a victory for Swieqi Overseas would take them into a Grand Final against Sliema Stompers for the championship. Ultimately it was the way Overseas were able turn defence...
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Stompers romp to final berth
Sliema Stompers 49Falcons 13 This was a fast and furious Mediterranean Bank Cup semi-final. In the end, it was the speed of play and a stout Stompers defence that shut down an energetic Falcons team for the Sliema side to book a place in the final...
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Kavallieri fail to handle Stompers’ power play
Stompers 78Kavallieri 5 A Kavallieri team, in a rebuilding phase after the loss of so many players over the last two seasons, were no match for a dominant Stompers team who carried on with their running style of rugby following the previous week’s...
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Big first half enough for Stompers
Stompers 34Overseas 28 This was an exciting match from start to finish as both teams threw everything into it. Stompers put Overseas under a lot of pressure in the opening half. Richard Gum kicked two early penalties and scored a try, running the...
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Resurgent Ireland deny England rugby grand slam
Ireland stunned England 13-9 in the Six Nations to deny their old rivals a second successive grand slam and end their hopes of a world record 19th successive victory. Joe Schmidt's Irish team secured a top seeding for the 2019 World Cup draw as a...
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England wary of Dublin threat but are ready for ‘greatness’
England face Ireland today ready to make history and embrace “greatness” but the players and coach Eddie Jones are well aware that if there is anywhere in the rugby world where such dreams can be derailed it is Dublin. Six years ago, under Martin...
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Malta hopefuls prove themselves
Malta ‘A’ Selection 43HMS Ocean Selection 19 This was a good run out in fine weather for the rising force of young local players to get their teeth into some good foreign-based opposition… and the result was pleasing to see. The local selection...
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Angel intercedes for Overseas to chalk up a comfortable win
Swieqi Overseas 50Kavallieri 10 This Cisk Lager League match at the Marsa rugby ground took more than expected to get going… until the ‘angel’ intervened. In fact, Angel Sarres then stole the limelight when taking the game by the scruff of the...
