Visiting Welsh beat inexperienced locals

Malta Youngsters 20
Pembroke Boys 32

As part of the twinning arrangements between Pembroke, Malta and Pembroke Dock, Wales, the Welsh municipality has sent a group of 44, mostly junior sportsmen, to play a series of competitions in Malta.

Saturday was the turn of the rugby boys and they produced an entertaining match at Marsa.

The Malta team was slightly older and heavier but were all beginners in the game, most enjoying their very first season.

By comparison, the Welsh had been playing together since they were seven-year-olds and showed all the skills expected from them.

Most of the Pembroke points were scored because of poor positional sense through the inexperience of the Malta team. The visitors were very fast in the backs and always dangerous when moving the ball crisply across the field.

Furthermore, Malta showed little guile in tackling. Pembroke scored five tries and one which was a lucky scramble created by scrappy errors in defence.

They led 15-5 at half-time, but after the break Malta improved significantly and shared the next 30 points scored.

All in all, it was a fair result. Surely, the local hopefuls must have learnt a great deal from this experience.