Malta stun Germany 37-31 to mark their 100th international in front of Martin Johnson

Malta marked their 100th international with a 37-31 victory over Germany at the Tony Bezzina Stadium in Paola, with England’s 2003 World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson among a 2,000-strong crowd to witness the milestone occasion in the Rugby Europe Trophy.

Germany arrived ranked eight places above their hosts and had been one win away from qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, making the result all the more remarkable. Malta wasted little time asserting themselves, racing into a 20-0 lead inside the first half-hour before Germany rallied to close the gap to three points 11 minutes into the second half. Malta held firm, however, to secure a victory that also represented their first-ever home Rugby Europe Trophy fixture.

Johnson’s visit to the Mediterranean island included a trip to the British High Commission in Valletta, and he was on hand to see inside centre Christopher Dudman deliver another standout individual display. Having scored two tries and kicked 11 points in Malta’s opening Trophy win — a 36-17 comeback victory over Denmark from 17-0 down — Dudman crossed for one of Malta’s four tries against Germany, converted all four, and added two penalty goals for a 19-point haul.

Head coach Dr Phil Pretorius has overseen a significant reshaping of his coaching staff ahead of the Trophy campaign, with former All Black Brad Thorn, Greg Goodfellow, and former Spain 7s player Jaike Carter no longer involved. The results so far appear to vindicate that decision.

Pretorius acknowledged the challenge of keeping his players focused after such a historic win, with Sweden — ranked 34th in the world — next up at home. “As you can be aware it was quite a task to get the players grounded after Saturday’s heroic effort,” he said. “Unfortunately, they had to come down from the clouds because this coming Saturday another mountain top awaits as we meet Sweden.”

The coach highlighted Sweden’s strength, noting they had just beaten Lithuania 60-22 and finished among the top three sides in the European Trophy the previous season. He also flagged injury and availability concerns, with six players unavailable due to injuries, work commitments, or personal circumstances. “Whilst we will be thinly spread with playing numbers, our hearts beat as one and that is to make Malta proud,” Pretorius added.

A third consecutive win would further cement Malta’s impressive start to life in the Rugby Europe Trophy following their promotion from the Conference.