Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1081437
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 FEBRUARY 2019 20 RUGBY SPORTS GEORGE ZAMMIT MONTEBELLO OVER the weekend, the Mal- ta Rugby Football Union, took two teams to Rome to partici- pate in the second edition of the Mediterranean Trophy. The tournament is a collabo- ration between the MRFU and the Lazio Regional Com- mittee under the supervision of the Italian Federation, to create more exposure for club players in a fun yet competi- tive atmosphere. The tournament was struc- tured in two competitions, a 7-a-side women's tournament and a 15-a-side men's tourna- ment. This offered a brilliant opportunity for both National Coaches, Damian Neill for the men and Carmelo Longo for the women, to test out aspir- ing players for national selec- tion, as well as hone the skill set for all players in a compe- tition setting. Participating in the week- end's activities, were four teams for each competition. For the men, it was Arvalia Villa Pamphili RFC (hosts for the event), Colleferro Rugby Club, Munich RFC, and the Malta A team. The women's competition consisted of a se- lection from Lazio, a selection from Campania, Mirano Rug- by and the Malta 7s Select. Neither of Malta's squads managed to come out on top, but both had their moments on Saturday. The Women only won one of their three matches, winning 22 – 12 against Mirano Rugby. The win raised the bar after there loss against Lazio (12- 15), but sadly the momen- tum did not hold in their last match against the Campania ladies (0 – 25). Throughout their matches, the ladies did manage to shine at times, with a few fresh faces managing to show through, but it was the experience of players Caro- line Gafà, Marion Azzopardi and Sairita Cassar, which cre- ated the best moments and opportunities for the team. After the round robin tour- nament, the ladies finished second overall, with the Cam- pania Team taking the top spot. The men's competition was structured differently, spread over two rounds. The teams were split so that the Italian teams would each face one of the visiting teams first, with the winners facing each other in the final, whilst the los- ers would play for third and fourth place. Malta faced Colleferro in their first match and whilst the fact that the team lacked some cohesion considering they hadn't been training to- gether for long, the Maltese, led by captain Matthew Spi- teri would eventually find their rhythm and convert the tactics they had practiced into points. Through a solid defense the team would deny the opposi- tion any chance at crossing the try line, leading them to a 19 – 0 victory. The second match was not not the same story, when Mal- ta came up against the hosts, who had beaten Munich RFC 31 -5. Villa's cohesiveness as a team was evident from the get go, moving the ball through hands with ease as they found gaps in the Maltese defense. That coupled with a few ear- ly injuries forcing some key players to the bench made for a difficult match for Malta. It was still not an easy vic- tory for the hosts, with strong pressure from the pack led by Dragan Cerketa and a lot of attacking lines from the back line, with Gary Hili in par- ticular making regular breaks through Villa's defense, the Maltese spent the majority of the match only a try away from taking the win. It was only in the last play of the match that Villa would capitalize on Malta's errors to end the tournament with a 25-10 win. Maltese teams place second in Rome tour The men's Squad: Malcolm Attard – Vice Captain, Keith Azzopardi, Martin Barbara, Branton Bonello, Benjamin Borg, Josef Busuttil, Matthew Camilleri, Julian Caruana, Dragan Cerketa, Brendan Dalton, Liam Davis, Jeremy Debattista, Andre Galea, Richard Gum, Alexander Hignett, Gary Hili, Nicholas Maylor, Aden Micallef, Jon Jon Micallef, Gabriel Scicluna, Liam Scicluna, Matthew Spiteri – Captain, Andrew Vella • Coach: Damian Neill, Manager: Chris Martin, Physio: Steven Cilia Women's Sqaud: Marion Azzopardi, Brenda Caruana, Claire Casha, Carla Cassano, Sairita Cassar, Valeria Cauchi, Deborah Cutajar, Caroline Gafa, Lawrence Grima, Kimberly Riolo – Captain, Francesca Schembri, Donevollon Sladden – Vice Captain, Justine Zammit • Coach: Carmelo Longo, Manager: Kirby Attard