Malta International Clubs Tournament

Mike Turner

The excellent work of the ground staff at Marsa must be congratulated for the preparation of pitch 2 in the emergency.

Each year for some ten years the International Clubs Tournament has attracted a mixture  of clubs and players from all over the world.

This year, three British clubs, Hutton RFC, Monmouth RFC and Finchley RFC, from North London, together with the French club BSCR RFC, will take on Malta Barbarians.

No doubt the play will be as festive as usual, in true tradition of Tour Rugby, which is always a mixture of fierce on pitch competition and energetic off pitch celebration.

It will be interesting to see if the French visitors can emulate their fellow countrymen of last year who won the cup, but there will undoubtedly be strong competition from the other clubs. Malta Barbarians may also field a strong squad as the local players compete for a place in the forthcoming European Sevens.

The MRFU have been the leaders in attracting incoming funds through their sports tourism policies for a decade now, and the reputation of Malta as a venue is boosted yet again.

No doubt one or more of the local hotspots will benefit from the big spending squads as they relax after their hard sport, so well organized as usual by the specialists, Sundreams Travel.