Malta’s National Rugby Team Breaks Into Top 10 World Ranking
Malta’s very own rugby team has moved into the World Top-10, making their newfound ranking one of the biggest jumps within the International Rugby League (IRL) classification.
The country went from 15th to 10th, their highest ranking ever achieved, and possibly the highest among all team-based sports practiced in Malta.
This puts them ahead of several other highly-regarded national teams, such as those of Italy, Scotland, and even Ireland. Not bad, considering the majority of players and staff still self-fund most of their international ventures.
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This ranking is based on results achieved over the past four years of competition. They are expressed as a percentage of the first-placed nation (New Zealand).
It is the culmination of years of blood, sweat, and tears that followed years of international success in foreign territory.
Malta’s Head Coach Roderick Attard shared a few words following the announcement:
“I’m very proud of the people that worked hard for this over the years. It’s not something we achieved overnight. Years of hard work have gone into this to finally pay off,” he said.
“Thanks to all the overseas players, thanks to the Maltese community in Australia that are mainly the backbone of this team, and thanks to the local boys who give their all when they have to put the shirt on to represent their country.”
Malta Rugby League (MRL) President Jean-Pierre Zarb also took the opportunity to talk about his passion for the sport.
“Rugby league is my passion and it is also the passion of many people around the world, both Maltese and not, that help make it an amazing sport on and off the field”.
The Maltese Knights, as they are known, regularly field an Australia-based Malta team on Australian shores. Their coach, Aaron McDonald, said the Malta Rugby League (MRL) would continue to develop players living beyond the southern hemisphere.
McDonald has a 73% win ratio since coming on board with the MRL in Australia. However, he appealed for further development in Malta. “We just need to keep getting out on the park and build the game on the island”.
Photo Credit: Dominic Borg
Lovin Malta congratulates the team for its historic achievement