Malta is confident of doing well against Group leaders Poland when the two countries meet in a European Cup second division Group B match at the Hibs Ground (kick-off 2pm).

Coming soon after a training camp in England, the Maltese, under the able hands of Welsh coach Damian Neill, are eager to give the Poles a good run for their money as the qualifying round nears its end.

Malta has no hope of being promoted from this group, but they will be doing their best to avoid relegation - a victory tomorrow will assure them of their place in the same division next season.

The new Malta Rugby president Martin Galea told reporters yesterday that Poland were a very strong side. He said: "They are ranked 36th in the IRB world ranking list and have been preparing for this match since they arrived here on Saturday. At present, they enjoy a four-point lead in the group standings. In their last match against Latvia, they won 55-0 - a clear indication of their potential."

Malta is currently ranked 53rd and apart from tomorrow's match, there is also the match against Andorra on 17 May which is expected to determine the relegation issue in this group.

According to team manager Sean Doublesin, the team is going out to win against the Poles. "We have prepared ourselves well. We know that they are very strong, but we will definitely give them a good run for their money. The training camp in England helped our players in building a sensational family spirit never seen before among our ranks," he said.

All this was thanks to Danny Sacco, who organised the training camp in England. "It was a fantastic few days," said Mr Sacco. And he added: "Malta has improved dramatically in the past few years. The training camp was of paramount importance for the players. We did not play any friendlies as we wanted them to improve their skills and understanding of the game. And that is what they did during their short stay in England."

Italian referee Paolo Ventura will control tomorrow's match and it will be the first time he will be controlling a match involving Malta.

Louis Agius, organiser of the South End Core, the now very popular group of national team supporters, again appealed to the local fans to go to the Hibs Ground tomorrow to give their full support to the national team. "I am sure this is going to be another entertaining afternoon for the whole family. We should all unite to give the best support which our team deserves," he said.

The squad

J. Bartolo, K. Mason, I. Borda, A. Galea, M. McArdle, H. Collins, D. Psaila, D. Borg, C. Cassar, M. Bonavia, S. Kempster, G. Kennedy, J. Finlason, M. Mirabelli, J. Bartolo, P. Calgaro, L. Vella, D. Busuttil, O. Sacco, L. Culnane, P. Marzella, R. Spiteri.