The UM Wolves RFC men’s team secured their spot in this year’s MRFU Cup Final after a tight battle against Falcons RFC went down to the wire on Saturday.
It was the men’s team’s first match in almost two months after a series of postponed and cancelled matches, and that fact was apparent in a less fluid performance than what followers of local rugby had grown used to this season.
Still, it was a performance that was enough to secure a narrow 7-6 win over top seeds Falcons RFC on the day.
Wolves started with the strong Marsa winds behind their backs, and allowed the boys in green to set the tone for the first half and take control of the match.
Yet while there was plenty of attacking pressure, it did not transpire into points.
It was a stop-start game as both teams suffered from mistakes: Wolves with a wayward set piece and a couple of misplaced passes, and Falcons with struggles to exit against the wind from their own half.
A pass from Connor Muir out to the left flashed across a pod of forwards with no recipient, while one from Virain Hariramani, also out to the left, was too high for onrushing winger Daniel Ghirlando, who would have otherwise been in space.
Wolves chose to play from a penalty in the Falcons 22m, and the ball was shipped wide with some fluid play – shades of the boys coming into their own – but Simon Borg out on the other wing fumbled the final pass with the try line within reach.
With 18 minutes on the clock the score was still 0-0, and a Connor Muir penalty kick looked to be sailing through the posts, but it was diverted by the wind at the last moment.
Still, it wouldn’t be long until the deadlock was broken: the forward pack set up a maul from a lineout 10 metres from the Falcons try line, and that sucked in the Falcons defence, giving space for Gabriel Seychell – playing in the unfamiliar position of scrum half – to pass the ball to Hariramani, who played a dummy and left his opposite number standing still, dotting the ball down for a try unopposed.
Muir obliged with the conversion, making the score 7-0 and taking his personal points tally for the season up to 130.
But this didn’t open the floodgates: the game remained a nervy one, with the crowd and those on the sidelines cheering each small victory as it came.
Falcons managed to bring the score back to 7-3 with a penalty kick after 35 minutes.
Wolves had the opportunity to end the half in control with some deft play, but Simon Borg was held up over the try line, meaning that at half time the score remained 7-3.
The second half was largely a reverse of the first: Wolves were in the Falcons half for the first five minutes, putting pressure, but ultimately came out with no points.
For the rest of the half, the boys struggled to make any substantial gains: the wind – now blowing in their faces – made it very difficult to gain metres with the boot and otherwise, while Falcons were playing a strong rush defence which was putting the boys in green under pressure.
The Wolves defence, however, was also up to scratch: while Falcons controlled possession, it took 15 minutes for them to add to the scoreline, with another penalty making the score 7-6.
The match hung in the balance but the Wolves defence sustained the pressure. Falcons got an in when jumping onto a loose ball out of a lineout close to the Wolves try line, but their player was first held up and subsequently knocked the ball on – meaning that it was no try, and the score staying at 7-6.
With 20 minutes left, Agustin Rabini came onto the pitch to add some defensive power to the team, while coach Keenan Kleinsmith – today donning the players’ jersey – also came on at full back to steady the ship.
He was proof that when you’ve got it, you never lose it: running the ball out of pressure twice, beating Falcons defenders and eating up the territory.
Falcons made two attempts at long-range penalties towards the end of the match, but they both sailed wide, and after what felt like an age for both supporters, those on the sidelines, and the players themselves, the referee blew for full time with the score remaining at 7-6.
That means that UM Wolves will, for the first time ever, be in the MRFU Cup Final.
That match will be played on Saturday 12 April, and the club will face Stompers RFC, who emerged victorious against Kavallieri RFC in their semi-final.
Starting 15: Michael Galea, Jonathan Pace, Sven Camilleri, Kurt Aquilina, Mikel Dominguez Agirre, Gareth Blundell, George Strickland, Keegan Weintraud, Gabriel Seychell (C), Virain Hariramani, Simon Borg, Connor Muir, Philippe Ioffe, Daniel Ghirlando, Axel Jeffers
Subs used: Agustin Rabini, Keenan Kleinsmith, Luke Maistre
Subs not used: Kurt Sciberras, Nick Xuereb, Leonard Schembri, Isaac Scerri, Benjamin Johnston
