The sun was shining, the sand was glistening and the rugby was flowing as almost 100 members of Malta’s rugby community flocked to Pretty Bay in Birzebbuga earlier this month to play out what can be considered as the first competition of the 2022/23 season.
The O.R.S Beach Touch Rugby Cup saw nine teams, some representing four – Kavallieri RFC, University of Malta Wolves RFC, Falcons RFC, and Overseas RUFC – out of the country’s five rugby clubs, take to the sands around Pretty Bay on Saturday 20 August.
After a competitive group stage throughout the late afternoon and early evening, four teams – one representing UM Wolves RFC, one representing Kavallieri FC, one representing Overseas RUFC, and another representing the French community in Malta – made it into the semi-finals of the competition.
Two hotly contested semi-finals followed, with the Wolves team beating the Overseas team 2-0, and the Kavallieri team having to go to extra time to beat the French community’s team 3-2.
It was ultimately Kavallieri – whose team was named after their captain Agustin Vazquez, who is departing the island to play rugby in Australia – who emerged victorious over the Wolves with a 2-1 scoreline, thereby becoming the winners of the first edition of this competition.
The tournament was organised by UM Wolves RFC and sponsored by O.R.S Hydration Tablets Malta. Decathlon Malta, Farsons, the Malta Rugby Referees Association and the Malta Rugby Football Union also supported the event.
Photos by: Jasmine Pulis / UM Wolves RFC