Malaysia miss out on final after defeat to HK
The side, coached by Syed Shazril Syed Mahadzir, had to concede to Hong Kong's dominance, with the latter scoring 33 points compared to Malaysia's five, which came from a solitary try by Luqmanul Hakim Ramli.
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The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Malaysia miss out on final after defeat to HK
KUALA LUMPUR: The national men's Under-20 rugby 7s team's hopes of reaching the final of the Asia Rugby Championship were dashed after losing to Hong Kong in the semi-finals in Bihar, India, yesterday. The side, coached by Syed Shazril Syed Mahadzir, had to concede to Hong Kong's dominance, with the latter scoring 33 points compared to Malaysia's five, which came from a solitary try by Luqmanul Hakim Ramli.
The Sun
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- The Sun
Malaysia U-20 rugby team falls short in Asia Rugby 7s semi-final
THE Malaysian men's Under-20 rugby sevens team failed to secure a spot in the Asia Rugby U-20 7s Championship final after a heavy defeat to Hong Kong. The semi-final clash in Bihar, India, saw Hong Kong dominate with a 33-5 victory over Malaysia. Malaysia's only points came from a try by Luqmanul Hakim Ramli. With the loss, the team will now compete for third place against China. Coach Syed Shazril Syed Mahadzir's squad had entered the match with an unbeaten record in the tournament. Team manager Dr Muhammad Hazwan Khair expressed disappointment over the semi-final performance. He acknowledged Hong Kong's physical superiority and Malaysia's struggle to stick to their game plan. 'The players recognise the areas needing improvement and will fight hard for third place,' he said in a statement released by Malaysia Rugby. Malaysia finished as runners-up in the 2023 edition held in Nepal. - Bernama
New Straits Times
12-07-2025
- New Straits Times
Malaysia rugby banks on expat stopgap to boost national squad
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Rugby (MR) is hoping to identify suitable expatriate players to represent Malaysia in international competitions via the Agong's Cup (Sept 6-Oct 26). This is because Malaysia is currently lacking options when it comes to naturalised professional players. MR today announced that it will allow states to field up to three expatriate players who have been working in Malaysia for over 60 months in the Agong's Cup this year. All three can be fielded at the same time. This is up from one allowed in last year's competition. Clubs are also allowed to register and play one foreign player who has previously represented Malaysia in international competitions. This is also new for this season. As in previous seasons, MR allows states to register up to four foreign imports (professional players) though only three will be allowed on the pitch at the same time. MR secretary-general Fahmy Jalil said Malaysia's naturalised players (professional players) are mostly past their prime now. A player must reside in a country for over 60 months to qualify for naturalised status. "I think we only have two or three naturalised players who are under the age of 40 at the moment and all of them are based abroad now," said Fahmy today (July 12). "We were quite impressed with Ryan Long's performance during the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) this year. "He has good size and stamina and is very experienced as he played professional rugby in England with Wasps RFC for a few years before he moved to Malaysia for work. "We are hoping to identify more expatriate players with his level of quality to represent Malaysia. This is why we have expanded the number of expatriate players allowed in the Agong's Cup this season. "This is a short-term solution as we look to develop the next generation of naturalised players for Malaysia." Long, 34, had played for Malaysia during the Bunga Raya squad's ARC promotion-cum-relegation playoff against Sri Lanka in April. Sri Lanka won the match 59-19. Fahmy said MR has met with Fijian embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur to initiate a programme to develop new naturalised players for the Bunga Raya squad. "We are looking at bringing in talented young players from abroad - Fiji, Samoa and possibly Tonga - to come and study and play here until they are eligible to represent the national team," said Fahmy. "So far our discussions with the Fiji embassy as well as the Higher Education Ministry have been positive." The majority of Malaysian clubs and states released their foreign players during the Covid-19 period as no competitions were held here for almost three years. Clubs have also been reluctant to keep foreigners on their books since the discontinuation of the Malaysia Rugby League (MRL), which has not been held since 2019. MR is hoping to revive MRL next season. Fahmy was speaking after the Agong's Cup and National Sevens Championships draws were held in Kuala Lumpur today. Defending champions Police have been drawn in Pool A alongside Kedah, Perlis, Selangor and Kelantan. Johor, who were runners-up last season, have been placed in Pool B together with Kuala Lumpur, Armed Forces, Terengganu and Pahang. The National Sevens, which will be held in Kuala Terengganu on July 25-27, will see men's category defending champions Johor competing in Pool A alongside Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Putrajaya, Police and Terengganu. Selangor, who were runners-up last year, are in Pool B with Kelantan, Sarawak, Pahang, Armed Forces and Perlis. In the women's category, defending champions Selangor will lock horns against Malacca, Perlis, Sarawak, Armed Forces, Johor and Terengganu in a single group, round-robin format.
