The Malta National Rugby team, supported by their main sponsor Cisk Lager, is ready to challenge Croatia on Saturday 25th October, at the Hibernians Ground, Corradino.

During a press conference held at The Palace Hotel in Sliema, Martin Galea, President of the Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU), said “Croatia is a strong team and they play good rugby. However I am confident that our national team will give a good show. The boys are training hard in preparation for this match. We are looking for a good result and I believe we can achieve it.”

Malta is currently ranked 56th in the IRB ranking while Croatia are in the 44th position. This will be Malta’s first match in the 2008/2010 FIRA European Nations Cup, and it is also valid for qualification to the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011.

Malta and Croatia have clashed in the past. The Malta team was victorious on one occasion but lost the other match. The head-to-head statistics can be found on the Rugby Data website through this link: http://www.rugbydata.com/malta/croatia.

Mr. Galea added that the players are feeling very positive and keen to regain a win on home ground. “Last week’s training camp proved to be great for the team’s morale, which is at an all-time high,” he said enthusiastically. “We encourage as much support as possible for the match and we hope to see a huge crowd of supporters on Saturday.”

National Coach Damien Neill announced the squad. He said: “We welcome Croatia once again to the Hibernians Ground. The previous encounter was a very tough game and next Saturday’s match will prove to be no different. It will be another great encounter with both sides not giving an inch in their pursuit to qualify for a 2011 RWC play-off”.

“Cisk Lager is a long-standing partner of the Maltese rugby national team and has contributed significantly to the development of the sport of rugby in Malta. We are proud of this association, and look forward to more success,” said Ms Jocelyn Degiorgio, Brand Manager for Cisk.

After facing Croatia, the national rugby team will play in Sweden on 1st November for an away match, once again eligible for the 2008/2010 FIRA European Nations Cup and as a qualifying match for the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup.

Doors open at 12.30pm. Tickets can be obtained from Fuego, Portside, Tuttosport, Teamsport and Casanatura or through the ticket hotline 9988 1266.

The team for next Saturday’s match is as follows:

Ian Borda

Kyle Mason

Andrew Galea

Adrian Bartolo

Harry Collins

Mick McArdle

Daryl Psaila

Christoff Diamantino

Clayton Cassar

Steve Kempster

Michael Bonavia

Paul Calgaro

Guy Kennedy

Matthew Mirabelli

James Finlason

Matthew Jarrett

Dominic Busuttil

Donovan Felice

Jarrod Sammut

Oliver Sacco

Ashley Spencer

Lee Culnane