MALAYSIA’s national rugby sevens team aims to avoid last place in their group at the upcoming Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Hangzhou.
The Hibiscus squad faces a challenging Group A draw against defending champions Hong Kong, strong contenders United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
National team head coach Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man identified beating Uzbekistan as their primary objective to secure third position.
He stated that a third-place finish would ensure Malaysia competes in the fifth-eighth placement playoffs rather than the ninth-twelfth classification matches.
Nik Safuan acknowledged the difficulty of progressing beyond the group stage given the quality of their opponents.
He recognised Hong Kong as Asian rugby powerhouses while noting the UAE’s strength through their naturalised Fijian players.
The coach emphasised focusing on limiting scorelines against stronger opponents while identifying areas for improvement.
Nik Safuan presented the national flag to the squad during a ceremony before their departure to China.
He highlighted the tournament’s importance as preparation for December’s SEA Games in Thailand.
The Asia Rugby Sevens Series features twelve teams divided into three groups of four nations each.
Group B contains Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka while Group C consists of China, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Tournament structure awards semi-final places to the three group winners plus the best second-placed team.
The remaining second-placed teams and third-placed finishers will contest fifth-eighth classification playoffs.
The lowest-ranked teams will compete in ninth-twelfth placement matches with the bottom two eliminated from the main competition.
Eliminated teams will instead participate in the separate Asia Sevens Challenge Trophy event. – Bernama
