KUALA LUMPUR – The Perak rugby team is making a highly anticipated return to the Agong Cup Championship this year after a two-year hiatus.
Despite facing significant challenges, the team’s focus remains on reviving its former glory rather than on financial incentives.
Perak’s manager, Nor Afzanizam Abd Manan, explained that the team has deeply missed participating in the championship.
The team had to withdraw in 2022, which led to a one-year suspension in 2023 and a RM10,000 fine imposed by the Malaysian Rugby Union.
In addition to these setbacks, the team endured internal crises involving the top management of the Perak Rugby Union, resulting in their registration being revoked by the Sports Commissioner.
However, these issues have now been resolved, and the team is now officially known as the Perak State Rugby Association.
Therefore, Afzanizam sees this as the best year to make a comeback, especially with nearly 60% of the current team consisting of native Perak players eager to restore the honour of Perak rugby.
Despite operating on a limited budget compared to other teams, Afzanizam emphasised that the players are motivated by their passion for the sport rather than financial gain.
“Compared to other teams, our budget is quite limited, but I’m thankful that the players are not prioritising money because they genuinely want to revive Perak rugby,” Afzanizam told Scoop.
“We don’t want to return to the situation we were in two years ago because it was truly heartbreaking.
“I’m grateful that, even though we don’t have any national players to support the Perak team this year, we still have some former national players, and most of the players are Perak-born.”
Perak has been drawn into Group A, where they will compete against Selangor, Pahang, PDRM, and ATM. Their first match is against Pahang in Gambang this Saturday.
Although Perak was crowned champions in 2016, Afzanizam considers the team to be underdogs this year and aims to progress past the group stage.
The team has bolstered its lineup with two Fijian import players, Simione Tuivanuavou Bulai and Maleli Naiqitu, with Bulai having previously helped Putrajaya win the Agong Cup in 2022.
“The players and management are incredibly excited and eager to take on Pahang. In my opinion, the group stage is highly competitive, as each team has its own unique history.
“At the Perak camp, we’ve been engaged in intensive training for the past month, with sessions taking place two or three times a week.
“So, for starters, we want to ensure that we advance past the group stage,” he added. – September 12, 2024