Cyprus moved from second to third place in the Rugby Europe Conference 1 South Division table after their 41 – 24 defeat away to Malta on Saturday 25 March. Despite the loss, the Mighty Mouflons did enough to secure a try bonus point with an unbelievable comeback in the second half.
The first half undoubtedly belonged to Malta, scoring four tries and securing a bonus point before the break. With only a yellow card and three missed conversions to take away from them, Malta otherwise enjoyed a very strong 40 minutes and walked off the pitch 22 – 00 in the lead.
After the break, Cyprus looked ready to go again with some fresh legs making their way off the bench. The second half provided a completely different tone, with seven more tries being scored – three by Malta and four by the Mighty Mouflons. Both teams were shown yellow cards – Cyprus in the 51st minute and Malta in the 66th – making a fairly even playing ground overall. Cyprus came back and fought hard, and, despite the final score, they showed grit and determination when the going was tough. Medics attended the pitch to assist Olly Yarrow in the final ten minutes of the game, and he left the field on a stretcher. We’re pleased to confirm that Olly is well after undergoing medical checks in hospital.
Cyprus tries: Corey Paraskeva (67), Ben Yarrow (69), Kai Phillips (72), Pantelis Stylianou (78); Conversions: Ben Yarrow (70), Ben Yarrow (73).
The Mighty Mouflons are at home on Saturday 13 May for the final fixture of this season, when they face Bulgaria. Head to cyprus-rugby.com for news and updates and sign up to the newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out. You can also follow the Mighty Mouflons on social media here.
