Malta takes step into history as they face Denmark away today

The Maltese national team will be taking a step into history by participating in the first match in a home and away series for a place in the next round of qualifiers for the Rugby World Cup 2007 that will take place in France. Malta will start its commitments with an away encounter in Denmark today and will, in turn, host the Danes in Malta next Saturday. This is, by far, the most important match that the Malta Rugby Football Union has undertaken, and could turn out to be a landmark in its interesting history.

Denmark, like Malta ended third in their pool and as such now face a play-off to secure a place in the third round of qualifiers. Denmark are ranked 42nd in the IRB World Rankings, while Malta is currently in the 58th place. Although this might seem like a very difficult task, Malta have already managed an away win to Switzerland who are ranked 41st in the world. For both unions this is an extremely important encounter as going into the next round will mean more experience and international exposure for the team.

The Malta national team has not won at home since it managed to beat Hungary in May 2004. The other two victories this season were achieved in away matches (Switzerland and Bulgaria) and although both results were very satisfying, it is time for a victory in Malta to give our numerous supporters a day to remember.

The Union is once again working extremely hard to entice as many people as possible to turn up at Hibs ground, Kordin next Saturday at 3pm. The last home game against Serbia & Montenegro saw a record attendance of approximately 3,000 spectators and this is the target that the Union is aiming at.

Coach Damian Neil has selected the following squad:

Forwards: Steve Haycock, Robert Bonavia, Steve Kempster, Daniel Grima, Chris Vassallo, Luke Watts, Martin Mallia, Tom Webb, Ian Borda, Jason Ramage, Steve Worthington, Martin Godfrey and Dominic St George.

Backs: Joe Sultana, Charlie Van Mol, Dominic Busuttil, Mark Cuschieri, Jamie Caruana, Paul Marzella, Oliver Sacco, Mathew Mirabelli and John Dimond.

Missing once again are Rohan Spiteri and Adam Magro while Dean Zammit is also unavailable for these matches. It is a pity that David Gasan missed out on another cap due to an injury sustained in the semi-final of the Barclays Cup between Alligators and Kavallieri. However Charlie Van Moll, Jason Ramage and Steve Worthington will all be back – they have all played vital roles in the national squad and their availability is a definite boost to Malta.