The Malta national rugby team kicked off their Men’s Conference campaign with an impressive 43-21 victory over Cyprus at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, overcoming a spirited second-half comeback from their opponents.

Malta dominated the first half, scoring three unanswered tries. Owen Vassallo opened the scoring just five minutes in with a well-executed driving maul, with Chris Dudman adding the conversion for an early 7-0 lead.

The pressure on Cyprus continued, and 13 minutes later, Zarrin Galea broke through the visitors' defense for Malta’s second try, with Dudman converting again to extend the lead to 14-0. A penalty conversion by Rob Holloway pushed Malta further ahead before Vassallo scored his second try, taking the score to 24-0 at halftime.

However, Cyprus came out of the break rejuvenated. They struck back with two quick tries—one from Dominic Georgiu and the other from Alexander Thompson—closing the gap to 24-14.

Despite the momentum shift, Cyprus was hindered when Matthew Georgiou received a red card, and Malta soon capitalized. Galea and Rory O’Brien added further tries, with Holloway’s accurate kicking making sure of the points.

A penalty try awarded to Malta in the dying moments sealed a comprehensive victory, delighting the home crowd.

Well done, team Malta!