The players took this on board, and the second half saw Gibraltar winning the territorial battle, putting the visitors under pressure. This led to a kickable penalty in the 11th minute, converted by Armstrong, 3-19, and the crowd rising to the occasion. Four minutes later, Harry Collins charged down a Gibraltar kick and chased the ball to score a 4th try by the visitors, duly converted by James Morris, for a 3- 26 lead.
As both sides begun using all their substitutes, Albert Isola was finally able to take advantage of continuous Gibraltar pressure to barrel over for a try in the 24th minute, unconverted by Armstrong.
The 33rd minute saw Malta score a fine try. A long kick by Gibraltar was collected deep in the Maltese half, by the main stand. A sweeping move saw the ball go through at least five pairs of hands as Gibraltar tried to close down the move, unsuccessfully, with winger James Kirk scoring in the far left corner.
The last seven minutes saw both sides cancelling each other’s attacking moves, with possession evenly split between the teams.
The final whistle signalled Gibraltar's first home loss 8- 33. The crowd applauded both sides warmly, knowing they had witnessed a well fought match, in spite of the score line. The local backs, who had shone in previous games, had been well harnessed by a strong, well organised Maltese back line, easily the best visiting backs we have seen in Gibraltar to date. The forwards had more than held their own, being hugely competitive in the lineouts, gradually getting to grips with the strong Maltese scrum. In the loose, player coach Mike Milward was tireless in running at the Maltese defence. Importantly, all the new caps got onto the pitch and were able to experience the magic of a home international test, and test it certainly was.
Gibraltar V Malta
Match Report