Mouflons beaten by old rivals Malta

By Devon Van Der Merwe

This past weekend saw the Cyprus national rugby side take on old rivals Malta in the first match of the season in Europe Rugby XV Conference Pool D in Valletta.

In a game where both sides looked to shake off the rust from the off season, it was a scrappy endeavour as they looked to string some constructive phases together and get points on the board. Unfortunately for Cyprus, Malta were more successful in this respect and managed to rack up a 15-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Despite trailing on the scoreboard as the sides went into the second half, Cyprus used the break to their advantage and came back as the much better side. Some individual brilliance across the park and hard determined team grit led Cyprus to bring the game back within reach at 22-17 with less than 10 minutes to play.

Unfortunately for the Mouflons, the game went to the home side as they managed to hang on to the lead. Despite some immense pressure on their try line, they turned the ball over on the last play to take the win. The game proved to be one of two halves as Cyprus dominated the second half on the board, scoring 17-7 against Malta.

Although the final score did not reflect the effort our team put out on the park, the Mighty Mouflons will be back with a vengeance in the games to come!