Malta national rugby union team
| File:Malta Rugby Football Union Logo.jpg | |
| Union | Malta Rugby Football Union |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Il-imtaten (The Rams) |
| Emblem(s) | The Ram |
| Coach(es) | Damian Neill |
| Captain(s) | Domenic Busuttil |
| First international | |
 Moldova 58 - 8 Malta  (2000-11-18) |
|
| Largest win | |
Malta 34 - 6 Luxembourg  (2003-03-29) |
|
| Largest defeat | |
| Moldova 58 - 8 Malta (2000-11-18) |
|
The Malta national rugby union team are governed by the Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU). Although Malta has yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, the island state has made remarkable progression since its first international in 2000. It is currently competing in the European Division 2A and finished 2nd to promoted Netherlands in the 2013-14 season.
Contents
History
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Malta's national team played their first match on November 18 in 2000, against Moldova in Chişinău, which Moldova won 58-8. They played a subsequent match against Belgium that same year in Marsa, which Belgium won 26-0. Malta played four matches in 2001, and they recorded their first win in the fourth of them, against Monaco in Marsa. This was followed by a draw 10-10 with Norway, defeating Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro, Latvia and Hungary. They then played Moldova in 2004.
Malta then proceeded to enter the 2007 Rugby World Cup European qualification tournament where they were grouped in Pool D of the second round. After finishing third in their pool with two wins from four pool games, Malta entered a play-off along with Denmark, Andorra and Sweden to enter round three. Malta were successful and entered Pool B of round three.
The team is currently ranked 43rd in the World Rugby world rankings, their highest ever position. They are coached by Welshman Damian Neill, a former Number 8 in the Welsh Premiership with Aberavon RFC and Maesteg RFC.
Current squad
Note: Caps correct 8 November 2014
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
|
Coaches
| Name | Years | Tests | Won | Lost | Drew | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Len Ethel | 2000-2001 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Nigal Ben Bennett | 2001–2002 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50% |
| Graham Richards | 2002-2004 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 80% |
| Damain Neil | 2004– | 43 | 20 | 23 | 0 | 73% |
Records of International Matches
Malta's test match record against all nations: [1]
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Andorra |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
 Austria |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Belgium |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Bulgaria |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Croatia |
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 |
 Czech Republic |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Denmark |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
 Germany |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Hungary |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Latvia |
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71 |
 Lithuania |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 67 |
| Luxembourg |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Moldova |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
 Monaco |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
 Netherlands |
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
 Norway |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
 Poland |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
 Serbia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
 Slovenia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Sweden |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75 |
 Switzerland |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
| Total | 60 | 29 | 30 | 1 | 49 |
See also
References
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