Malta beat Germany 37-29 in Rugby Trophy thriller
Malta secured a 37-29 victory over Germany in a competitive Rugby Trophy match at the Tony Bezzina Stadium in Kordin on Saturday, after leading 20-0 in the first half and then withstanding a sustained German comeback.
Germany mounted a strong challenge after the break and pressed late in the game, but Malta held firm to take the win.
Malta started strongly and built an early lead. John Connolly opened the scoring with a try in the 3rd minute, and Chris Dudman added the conversion. Dudman extended the advantage with a penalty in the 12th minute.
Tom Holloway scored Malta’s second try in the 15th minute, again converted by Dudman, to make it 17-0. A further penalty in the 31st minute took Malta to 20 points.
Germany, who had received a yellow card in the 2nd minute, replied shortly before the interval. Aidan Dixon scored in the 38th minute and Nikolai Klewinghaus Hacker converted, cutting the deficit to 20-7 at half-time.
Germany close the gap, Malta respond
Germany came out of the break with renewed determination and tested Malta’s defence. A Hacker penalty in the 46th minute made it 20-10. Tobias Bauer then scored in the 50th minute and Hacker converted, bringing Germany to within three points at 20-17.
Malta responded. Brendan Dalton scored a try in the 57th minute and Dudman converted, restoring a ten-point lead. George Strickland added another try and conversion in the 63rd minute, stretching the lead to 34-17.
Germany kept pushing, scoring a try in the 72nd minute, converted by Hacker, to make it 34-24. Malta were then reduced to 14 players when Zarrin Galea received a yellow card in the 76th minute.
Germany took advantage in the closing stages, scoring again in the 84th minute to close within five points at 34-29, putting Malta under considerable pressure.
Malta held their nerve. Connolly converted a penalty in the 87th minute to make the final score 37-29.
Malta scored four tries, four conversions and three penalties in total. Germany scored four tries, three conversions and one penalty.
The match highlighted both Malta’s attacking potential and the importance of defensive consistency and discipline over the full 80 minutes, according to the match report. Malta’s first-half performance and their ability to score under pressure in the second half proved decisive, it said, while Germany showed considerable attacking resilience.
Photography credit: Mike Borg
