KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) has called up a total of 35 players in preparation for the Asian Rugby Championship (ARC), scheduled to take place in Hong Kong.
The 34th edition of the tournament is currently slated for June 1 to 22, with Malaysia set to battle against Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea in pursuit of the coveted trophy.
Warming up for the ARC campaign, the national team will also compete in the SEA Sevens Rugby tournament, taking place in Kuala Lumpur from April 30 to May 4.
Speaking to Scoop, MRU honorary secretary Fahmy Jalil said the players have already begun training with their coaching team, and they are currently selecting suitable players to take part in the prestigious tournament.
“We have called up 35 players, and so far, we don’t have any injuries in the team as all of them are fresh from playing for their respective teams in state competitions.
“The team has begun its training at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) in Tg Malim over the past five days, and everything has been going smoothly.
“Alongside the players, a total of 15 officials have also joined the team, and this will be a big boost for the team ahead of our ARC campaign.
“The coaches are formulating their plans and strategies and will finalise the list of players for the tournament, probably after the Ramadan fasting period,” said Fahmy when contacted.
Last year’s edition of the ARC saw Malaysia finishing third, with Hong Kong emerging as champions and South Korea as the runners-up in a single round-robin format, where the top team in the standings at the end of the series is declared the winner.
Fahmy also mentioned that the recently concluded Borneo Sevens tournament, organised by its affiliate Sabah Rugby Union (SRU), provided a good platform for the governing body to scout future talents for the national team.
“MRU didn’t send any team to participate in the Borneo Sevens, but we did sanction the tournament.
“As the governing body, it’s our responsibility to sanction tournaments, ensuring the development of the sport is not hindered by internal issues.
“However, we have scouted and witnessed several players from the clubs who have the potential to play for the national team.
“In fact, 60-70% of our national Rugby 7s team were part of the Malaysian University team that played in the tournament, and we were pleased to see them getting their playing minutes.
“It will benefit them if we happen to call them for selection, as they already have some game time in their lockers,” Fahmy added.
The New Zealand Cavaliers emerged as the champions of the Borneo Sevens, taking home the trophy and a US$5,000 (RM23,000) cash prize in the tournament held last weekend.
Rugby 7s was not contested at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, but it has a great chance of returning in the 2025 edition in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur (2027), and Singapore in 2029.
The national 7s squad’s best achievement was winning the gold medal at the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. – March 13, 2024