The news that the Malta Rugby Football Union has received a three-year sponsorship from Gasan Mamo Insurance and that it continues to enjoy the fantastic support, financially and otherwise, of Farsons, was a definite injection into the sport.
It arrived just a few days before yesterday's World Cup qualifying match against Croatia at the Hibs Ground.
The Rugby clan needed such a boost and, most of all, they have showed that they deserve to be given such support. Their past results, especially in recent years, after starting from scratch, confirm that they are taking things seriously and it is no surprise that they are finding the backing they look for to strengthen their ranks both on and off the field.
Rugby is still in its initial stages on these islands, but they have made giant strides already in the last two to three years.
They have become the envy of most of the local associations, perhaps with the only exception of football, but they have worked hard for it.
The way they have taken the bull by the horns should be taken as an example by all the other associations or federations, call them what you like.
Let me just say that at the start, when playing an international match, they would not even have attracted more than 100 persons to their playing field.
Nowadays, they are playing at the 3,800 capacity Hibs Ground and have already filled it twice. If they continue in this vein, it is obvious that they will have to seek elsewhere to stage their international matches at home, for the Hibs Ground is getting smaller and smaller.
The government, or perhaps, the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport must also realise that these people are doing a lot of hard work to generate interest in their sport and they have been successful from all aspects.
I believe they also deserve support from wherever it can come from and, on its part, the KMS should help them realise their long-standing dream about a facility of their own, either at the Marsa or anywhere else for that matter.
I am told that the present pitch at the Marsa is not just inadequate but it is also under threat for the fact that part of it might have to be abolished if permits are granted to enlarge the current golf course at the Royal Malta Golf Club.
That will certainly be a slap in the face for the Malta Rugby Football Union, whose efforts in attracting much needed sponsorship, will also receive an unwelcome, albeit severe, jolt.
And speaking of sport funding or sponsorship, I cannot but not agree with what MOC president Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco and the MOC Director of Sport Pippo Psaila said on their arrival from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
They said that if the funding of Maltese sport remains on the current levels, it would be almost impossible to reach their dream - that one day Malta will be able to get back from such Games, even the Olympics, with a gold medal.
Psaila went one further when he said that if given the amounts provided to sports in other nations, then he would promise a gold medal, at least in one discipline.
It is a fact that there are financial problems in this country which preclude any serious funding as one might wish or expect. Yet, it is a pity that the government still seems as if it does not care much about investing seriously in sport.
To be fair, it has done a lot in the past. We have seen a general improvement and a big increase in the number of facilities. Yet everyone agrees that it is not enough and we need much more to become more competitive. We had become accustomed to an increase in the annual budget for sport, small as it might have been. Yet, in the last budget, we saw a reduction of this amount instead of an increase.
When one gets to know how and to what extent governments abroad fund their sportsmen and sportswomen and their associations/federations, then I consider Malta's contribution towards sport as a joke.
In these circumstances, I must say that the MOC is right to start concentrating solely on those athletes who may, one day, provide us with the real satisfaction.
I am not saying that all the funds provided by the government should be handed over to these two or three athletes and forget all about the others. Of course not, that would be the death knell for sports in Malta.
What I'm saying is that the MOC should help the top athletes in a substantial manner, though it will have to provide a fairly sized slice to the others.
However, everyone must realise that there is a big difference in competing at the top levels in comparison with participation on an amateur level.
When there is such a funding problem, no one should complain that the MOC should make the most of its means. It will also have to consider its priorities so that certain athletes will know beforehand that they stand no chance of receiving funds unless they reach the desired levels.
The MFA and the Under 21
The 2-1 defeat at the hands of Croatia in last Wednesday's first leg was no major surprise.
What was a surprise was the lack of public cooperation which was almost completely missing as the stands were practically deserted at the Ta' Qali national stadium which has a capacity of around 18,000.
All this despite the attention given to the match by the local press which even carried a promotion article, written by the MFA press officer, urging the locals to go to the Stadium to give their full support.
In view of this I expected the VIP Enclosure, at least, to be packed, but not even the vast majority of the Council members and those sitting on the Executive Committee of the MFA were present. In fact, I could not even count 10 members, apart from Dr Joe Mifsud, the president, and his vice presidents in that particular area.
It was a real shame on all those absent MFA members. They should all lead by example.