Another Welsh coach set to take national team job

Damian Neill is set to take the reins of the rugby national team, a Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU) official told The Times yesterday.

Like former coach Graham Richards, Neill, 34, hails from Wales. He is close to agreeing terms with the MRFU, his main task being to lead the national team at the upcoming World Cup qualifiers which get underway this month.

Richards stepped down from his job in May after leading the team to a series of impressive results home and away. A ten-match unbeaten run (nine wins and a draw) that helped in no small way to improve Malta's ranking on the international list.

Mike Beerman, MRFU secretary and national team manager, said his organisation has been looking for a suitable replacement since Richards' resignation. They were also assisted by the International Rugby Board (IRB) in selecting the right man to fill the vacant post.

"Fourteen coaches from various top rugby countries applied to our call for applications on the IRB and MRFU websites," Beerman said.

"After a thorough evaluation, we drew a shortlist of three coaches for the job.

"Australian Francis Langer and Stuart Power, of England, were also in the running but in the end we felt that Neill was the right man for us."

A former rugby player himself, Neill has been coach at a number of clubs in his home country. If the deal goes through and he signs a contract, the Welshman will have to start straightaway in his new job as Malta play the first group match against Switzerland (away) on October 16. That will be followed by a home match vs Poland on November 6.

On Thursday, the MRFU will be announcing the names of national team players who will be travelling to the UK for a training camp in preparation of these qualifiers.

Malta Knights in fine debut

Meanwhile, Rohan Spiteri is expected to fly to Europe this week in time to join the Malta squad.

Last Saturday, the flyhalf added to his personal achievement of tries when he scored twice to help the Malta Knights beat British Defence Forces 78-0 as the Maltese-Australian team made their debut in the Rugby League 'down under'.

On a history-making night, 1,156 fans were present at the Melita Stadium in Sydney to witness a dominant performance by the Knights.

Centre Paul Galea, another player who could possibly feature for the national team in the near future, put his name in the history books with his first try of the evening after four minutes of play.

With Malta Knights up 40-0 at half-time, there wasn't too much coach Joe Grima could say to his troops in the dressing room.

"They have just got to keep the intensity up for 80 minutes, and that's hard when you're up by so much," Grima said.

Malta Knights' next match is in three weeks' time against Fiji A.