On Sunday we will find out who will make the jump up from the men’s Rugby Europe Conference to Trophy level for next season.
The Trophy access play-off match pits Malta and Austria against each other in Malta’s Ta Qali National Stadium at 6pm local time (4pm UTC).
Both teams have gone through the season unbeaten to date - taking a winning bonus point from every game - and now they are looking to reach the second tier of Rugby Europe’s competition pyramid.
Malta may start as favourites given that they have home advantage and the fact they are 46 in the world compared to Austria who are 61, but both sides will be giving it everything here for 80 minutes.
Malta coach Dr Phil Pretorius, whose side topped Pool D, said: “Culture is one of the cornerstones of our team's identity.
“As such we've travelled quite a way down the road of a humble ordinary bunch of guys trying to achieve something extraordinary. We have progressed also on the ‘team first’ principle and where every voice counts. We achieved in the vicinity of 20-point wins in all our games against Cyprus, Andorra and Israel to get this far.
“All three teams were worthy opponents and challenged us and now, in this match against Austria, I expect a performance worthy of the proud people of Malta.
“Austria were totally dominant in their group and a big positive points difference after four games paints a picture. The core of their team plays together for Donau Wien on a weekly basis against tough opposition in the Czech Republic Extra Liga so they will be fluent.
“Austria have a great lineout and a scrum that dominates, they also have strong runners with a good off-loading game.
“In a nutshell, they are a strong, well-oiled team and we will need to play well.”
Malta captain Joseph Greaves added: “If we can win, it would validate the work we have done all year to get to this point. It [the Trophy] is somewhere I believe Malta rugby belongs, but we can only do that through a consistent performance on Sunday.
“I can’t wait to go out onto the pitch and see the Maltese support, playing in our home country is always a special privilege. Emotionally nothing has changed, we have full belief and ready to show the nation what Malta rugby is all about.”
From the visiting camp, Austria coach Kurt Martin, whose side topped Pool B, said: “We have had a very good season so far with some strong performances.
“We’ve been able to build things around a core group of players who are now at a level where they can train and compete consistently in international rugby. That’s given us competition for places and also meant there’s no drop off across the squad.
“The players have really bought into our processes and from the start we had a clear goal of going for promotion this season. We’ve got a great leadership group and coaching staff who continue to drive standards every time we are together.
“Malta are obviously a very good side and they are fifteen places above us in the world rankings so we know the challenge ahead.
“With one more strong performance this group has a chance to create history for rugby in Austria.”
His skipper Robert Schneider added: “It would be like a dream coming true [if they earned a Trophy spot].
“The players have put in a huge amount of effort and made many sacrifices to reach this point. Reaching the Trophy would put Austrian rugby on the European rugby map.
“It has been an incredible journey to get to this point.
“As a team, we’ve continued to grow stronger and closer together throughout the season. We’ve also built strong squad depth which has made training sessions more competitive and helped to raise the level of the entire team.
“We’re excited, focused, and ready for the big play-off match, everyone is looking forward to the challenge.”
The game will be broadcast live on Sunday night on Rugby Europe TV and also on our YouTube channel.
By Gary Heatly
