Malta’s veteran playmaker Jarrod Sammut has flown 11,000 miles at his own expense to take his place for the Knights against Lebanon in Wednesday’s one-off international rugby league clash on neutral turf in Sydney.
Sammut is currently plying his trade with Barrow in the north of England but the 35-year-old has dipped into his own wallet, not for the first time, to join the Maltese squad against one of the 16 men’s teams contesting this year’s World Cup in England.
Malta failed to qualify for the tournament – originally scheduled for last autumn – hence Lebanon have every right to be favourites for the Test at the home of Canterbury, arguably the most multicultural club in Australia’s National Rugby League competition.
The Cedars have hired ex-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who has Lebanese ancestry, from the other rugby code in a major coup for the 13-a-side game, which is looking to revive its international offering after COVID-19 kept players sidelined for over two years.