The Malta rugby national team will open their commitments in the FIRA-AER Conference South 1 on Saturday afternoon when they take on Slovenia in Ljubljana (start: 2pm).
The national team will be making their first competitive appearance in international rugby after almost 18 months following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced all competitions organised by the European governing body to be scrapped.
Malta technical director Damian Neill will again lead the team’s charge in this season’s European qualifiers as they seek to make a winning start against the Slovenians.
The Maltese team had already met the Slovenians just before the COVID-19 interruption when in November 2019 Neill’s men crushed the Slovenians 42-14 in Ljubljana.
A notable selection in Neill’s squad is that of Taylor Rees-Zammit, who is on the books of Welsh side Llandaff.