Both teams needed the win to put them into a leading position. It started off with some furious rugby. Kavallieri crashing their big runners up the 10 channel, close to the scrums, rucks and mauls, looked to blast past Patrick Satariano, but he and all the Stompers tackled like demons, not allowing the Kavallieri runners over the gain line.
It was a tight game throughout the first half, but the trademark play of Stompers, using quick turnover ball and moving it wide, finally paid off with winger, Luke Debattista scoring the first try for Stompers, which was converted successfully by Satariano.
Kavallieri, with one man sin-binned for 10 minutes for a head high tackle, played against a strong wind. They went through some phase play working their way close to the Stompers line. Roderick Attard, just back from an injury, then stepped his marker and went in to score a try wide out. But the conversion was unsuccessful.
In the second half, Kavallieri picked up their game and pinned Stompers on their line for a good 10 minutes. They were winning Stomper’s ball into the scrum as well, keeping the pressure on. It looked like Kavallieri were getting back into the game, but then a quick penalty, taken by Mirabelli had Stompers laying siege to the Kavallieri tryline. Out of desperation to prevent a try, Grima didn’t roll away in the tackle and he was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes.
Another break from Stompers saw Satariano weave his way through four tacklers and then side-step the full back, to go over beside the posts. The try was successfully converted by Malcolm Attard. Just a few minutes later Robert Bonavia, was sinbinned for a high tackle and Malcolm Attard stepped up and slotted the penalty.
Kavallieri were now playing desperate rugby, trying to force their way back into the game, finally they put some phases of play together, win a ruck on the Stompers line and then getting it wide to their winger Boccaccini, who dives over near the corner placing the ball short off the try-line.
Referee Steve Busuttil, produced a yellow card to the Stompers Hooker for foot tripping, during the build up to what the referee eventually awarded what he thought was as a try. For its conversion, the ball was not placed on the imaginary line that runs the length of the field through where the ball was touched down.
The referee was unaware that the ball was wrongly placed closer to the H-Bar, enabling Attard to successfully convert without problem. When asked to comment Busuttil said that “it was the end of the match and I would have given a penalty-try anyway for a trip on the ball carrier. I thought he had scored a try so instead I left it at that.”
Kavallieri RFC: I. Borda, I. Borg, J. Zahra, D. Psaila, Joseph Cutajar, Pierre Azzopardi, Michael Bonavia, Robert Bonavia, Daniel Grima, S. Doublesin, C. Mallia, K. Psaila Montfort, M. Curtis, D. Schembri, M. Lautier
Stompers RFC: P. Bradley, N. Gatt, T. Pace Moore, K. Zammit, D. Cerketa, S. Attard, M. Von Brockdorff, J. Tonna, M. Mirabelli, P. Satariano, T. Diacono, M. Camilleri, M. Attard, L. Debattista, C. Morton
Referee: Mr. Steve Busuttil
Other Results
MRFU CUP: B’Kara Alligators RFC - Valletta Lions RFC 24-12
7s Ben Benett’s CUP: Sharks WRFC - Kavallieri WRFC 0-24