Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/952911
54 maltatoday SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2018 Sports RUGBY Kavallieri win a hard fought battle over Falcons K AVALLIERI a team that seems to be gaining in confidence from week to week, finally ran out winners against a battling Falcons' team that faded in the second half, in this Cisk Lager League match After last weeks' narrow loss to Overseas, Kaval- lieri have found their feet, along with a few more players to add to the club's ranks. Falcons began the game attack- ing Kavallieri in their 22, but the Kavallieri defence were up to the task repelling wave upon wave of the Falcon's forwards and shut- ting down their backs with quick line speed. Eduard Toderika(10) scored after a period of phase play with his two second rowers Nicholai Grech(4) and Branton Bonello(5) smashing their way into the Falcon's defensive wall, nipping around a ruck close to the line to score in the corner. But it was those two players Grech and Bonello who spent 10 minutes in the sin bin for retali- ation and a head high tackle re- spectively later in the game. The game see sawed through the rest of the half with Gabriel Scicluna(2) scoring for Falcons after some enterprising play with Holliday(1) distributing well onto Barbara, Freeman and Liam Scicluna carrying hard into the Kavallieri half, Scicluna then scoring in the corner af- ter a blind side run. Holliday scored after a Liam Davis(10) run through the middle off load- ing to Azzopardi(18) then on to Holliday for him to dive over out wide through a mass of bodies. Dalton(11) who seemed to be wasted out on the wing, espe- cially after his man of the match game last week, was moved into the playmaker position at Fly half and his backline began to function as he took the ball to the line, causing confusion in the Falcons' ranks as to what he was going to do. He plays at pace and has a great side step left and right, his try was a 50 metre run down the middle stepping and outstripping the Falcons' backs. The half ended with Liam Scicluna scoring his try after a break by Davis which was car- ried on by a weaving Aaron Borg(12) with Scicluna diving over from the ensuing ruck. Half time score Falcons 15, Kavallieri 10. It was a poor kick for the re- start by Falcons not going the required 10 metres. Kavallieri already putting the Falcons un- der pressure from the scrum at half way. From a weak clearing kick. Toderika took the ball near the half way and stepped the on- rushing Falcon's backline and sprinted down the touchline to score in the corner, drawing his team level at 15 all. He scored again running a good support line off his forwards, ranging wide and around the defence. Falcons were fading, although the young Japanese half back Fu- ta was distributing well both left and right finding his runners, Jean Pierre Zarb(12) added some power out wide, if only they had put the ball in his hands a bit more. Dalton scored again, run- ning off a Sammy Chicane(9) break to beat the fullback with a swerve pushing the score out to 25 to 15. Daniel Holliday was doing everything to get his team going, charging ahead in the for- wards then popping up out in the backs with quick distribu- tion ball. He scored his second try from a rare Falcon's venture into the Kavallieri 22, then quickly drop kicking the conversion, as time was running out, taking the score to Kavallieri 25, Falcons 22. But immediately Kavallieri worked their way back near the Falcon's tryline with Dan Moore(18) fir- ing a quick f lat pass on the blind side of a ruck to Zak Borg(23) who went over in the corner, with Sean Doublesin then end- ing the game with a final score of Kavallieri 30, Falcons 22. Men of the Match: Kavallieri: Eduard Toderika. Falcons: Daniel Hol- liday. Referee: Sean Doublesin. Assistant Referees: Amanda Cassar and Celine Smith. In the other game on Pitch 3, Stompers ran out winners over Overseas 39 points to 17. Referee: Lionel da Silva. On the 17th of March the Mal- ta National Team will play Israel away, then on the 24th Andorra at home. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WARREN SAMMUT Falcons victorious in tense encounter PHIL GIBBS ON a glorious spring day, Over- seas won the toss and elected to receive. From the kick off, Falcons went on the attack and pinned Overseas back in their own 22. After a knock on by Tessabelle Sultana, Falcons played the ad- vantage and the ball was swung left through the hands of Caro- line Gafa and Beverie Sultana to reach Kimberly Riolo on the left wing. She turned on the gas and went round the backtracking Jacque- line Richard to open the scoring. The try was converted by Carole Casparis to take the Falcons into a 7 point lead. They continued to dominate possession for the rest of a fairly one-sided first half, with Overseas only managing one foray into Falcons territory. On the stroke of half time, Marion Azzopardi made a clever break through the Overseas defence before slipping the ball to Beverie Sultana, who powered down the right wing to score in the corner. Casparis missed the kick and the first half ended 12-0 in Fal- cons favour. Overseas came out in the second half showing much more determination to at- tack and, after winning a well- executed lineout with a clean ball off the top, they pressurised the Falcons midfield defence. The ball reached Amanda Cassar in the centre, who cleverly cut back inside to beat her marker and f ly down the right wing to score. She missed her conversion, and the score moved to 12-5. The margin soon went back to 12 points, however, when some neat interplay between Azzopardi and Casparis sent the latter through a hole in the stretched Overseas defence, and she charged over the line to touch down. She missed her conversion. Overseas refused to give up and struck back with a vengeance when, from a Falcons error, the ball was turned over and moved left along the line to Richard, who showed red-hot acceleration to beat her marker and run 60 me- tres down the left wing, before scoring under the posts. The kick was converted by Vanessa Attard and Overseas moved back within 5 points of the leaders. With tensions running high and the game hanging in the balance, Tessabelle Sultana was yellow- carded for foul play and Overseas went a player down. This proved critical as, in the next meaning- ful attack, the Overseas defence was stretched wide and Casparis spotted an opening, which she ex- ploited with a nice turn of speed and burst through to leave two Overseas defenders trailing in her wake. She missed her kick, and the final score saw Falcons home 22-12, despite Overseas outscor- ing them in a highly competitive second half. Star player – Carole Casparis Results Falcons 22 Overseas 12 Kavallieri 12, Overseas 29 Falcons 43, Kavallieri 0