It is safe to say that mothers play an important part in their children's upbringing. Here in Malta, it seems that each and every child has some form of after school activity. Dance, drama, music or sport - all children are urged to take up some form of extracurricular activity. This usually narrows down to a single one by the time they are pre-teens, ensuring that they get the full benefit of what they choose to do.

I meet up with Sharon Felice and Roberta Ciangura. Their tale is no different to that of many young mums, with one exception - they are as excited about the sport their sons picked as the youngsters are themselves.

Sharon, mother to John(16) and Ryan(12) tells me she started her boys off early. Ryan was taken to football at the age of six, but never showed a keen interest in what is believed to be a typical boys' sport. He enjoyed playing football but his heart wasn't in it. A stroke of luck came in the form of summer school. It was during activities that he was spotted by Daniel Pancho Holliday, who suggested to Sharon that her son should try rugby. »

Not too keen initially, Sharon took him to a game where his strong physique came in as handy as his natural ability for the game. Holliday approached Sharon again that afternoon, telling her that an English team was playing the following day, and that she really should take her son along. He was sent out on the field where, to Sharon's maternal horror, he was tackled by two burly youngsters. It was there that his love for rugby took off. He quit football and has not looked back since.

Roberta, mother to Kurt (15), also did the mummy thing and tried everything under the sun for her boy. The obligatory football training at a tender age, swimming, martial arts - even a sport-based summer school - you name it, Kurt tried it.

Kurt was introduced to rugby in third form and talked about taking it up as a sport, as he felt football "wasn't tough enough". Like Sharon, Roberta had visions of her son being bashed about and bruised. This was soon overcome by a sense of joy as her son's enthusiasm for the game grew.

As a mother myself, I could understand their concerns. How do they feel about their boys playing rugby now? Would they recommend it as a sport?  It is difficult to put into words the palpable excitement of these women as their answers come tumbling out.

Rugby is a team sport, but it also a discipline. They are like a family, really. The MRFU (Malta Rugby Football Union) ensures that all teams have the possibility to train together and travel together. The mummies all watch, and get to know each other. They raise funds and organise social activities together.

As far as they are concerned, rugby brings people together. Sharon and Roberta are a perfect example. They would never, ever have met, were it not for the sport that their sons chose. And the MRFU is the parent of these newly found sport families.

The boys are happy. They look forward to training. They are fit, and disciplined, and it keeps them out of all sorts of teen-related temptation, I am told.  Are they not worried that it is such a rough and tumble game? On the contrary, they find that their sons are tougher, and as they work as a team, and follow rules, it is to their advantage both personally and for the team.

They also like the fact that, if the boys are not as yet in co-ed schools, being juniors and playing rugby also brings them into contact with girls. As an ex-convent school girl myself, I can understand the logic behind this, although I am quite sure that times have changed somewhat since my teens. The younger rugby teams are mixed, and it is only when the players are over 15 that they are segregated.

Roberta and Sharon flick through their mobile phones and show me their photos. Like any other mummies they really take an interest in their children's chosen sport. Roberta declares that rugby is better than football. Sharon nods in agreement. It amuses me no end. Everyone has a 'Mine is better than yours' scenario at some point.

Sharon says rugby's great fun, having played herself. My eyebrows hit my hairline. I was about to ask her if she's serious. She's petite, slim, and looks like a waif. Her cornflower blue eyes are alight with mischief. She tells me how much fun she and the other mummies waiting around for their sons had when they decided to play - just for fun, mind you. This was before the slipped disc days but she has absolutely no regrets about skidding around on the pitch, as they would all have a whale of a time.

More enjoyment is had when the MRFU organises a trip for the team to play against a foreign team. Although their last trip to Sicily was cancelled due to bad weather, there will be more. On the Rugby Mums' Diary is the Small Nations Games. Malta's Rugby team will be playing in Andorra. I think we should all put this into our diaries, as it's a first.

The mothers lament that the media don't seem to consider rugby as important. Unlike football, it does not get much coverage. That is sad, really, as our little island does reasonably well, placing 27th out of 40. Well done team, I say. 

From the mothers whose heart skipped a beat at the thought of a rough game to the women sitting before me I see a great change. Why is that, I wonder? The answer in a nutshell, Roberta says, is printed on the Rugby Mums' hoodies which they had made for the last trip: "Some people wait their entire lives to meet their favourite player. I raised mine." That just about sums up it all up.

Malta Rugby Football Union