MR aim to break the duck in 2026

By Fadhli Ishak - June 3, 2020 @ 8:45am

MALAYSIA have never won an Asian Games medal in rugby.

But the drought could come to an end as Malaysia Rugby (MR) have embarked on a programme geared towards winning a medal at the 2026 edition in Nagoya, Japan.

MR president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya disclosed that the National Sports Council (NSC) have endorsed the programme to prepare players for the full assault in 2026.

The national sevens squad have performed creditably in recent years.

They finished fifth at the 2018 Indonesia Asian Games and reached the last three finals of the Sea Games in Singapore (2015), Malaysia (2017) and the Philippines (2019).

They won the nation's first-ever gold at the biennial games in 2017 but were edged by the Philippines in the 2015 and 2019 finals.

"Following the success of our four-year programme (2015-19), the NSC and MR have agreed on a long-term training programme with the 2026 Asian Games as the target," said Shahrul.

"This programme will focus on developing Under-22 players, though a few seniors will be roped in.

"These players, who are now between the ages of 18 and 22, will mature by 2026.

"This was agreed upon by the NSC, the National Sports Institute and MR during a recent working committee meeting.

"Players, who are below 17 years old, under the National Rugby Development Programme (NRDP), could also be brought into the (2026) programme within this six-year time frame.

"The goal is to win at least a bronze at the 2026 Asian Games.

"And to achieve this, it is important for this group of players to gain exposure at the 2022 Asian Games in China."

Financial support from NSC, in the form of allowances and other expenses for the 2026 Asian Games programme, will allow the players to train full time.

Rugby in Malaysia is still an amateur sport where the majority of players hold full-time jobs.

The 2026 Asian Games programme was supposed to start last month, but it has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

MR are finalising their list of 20 players for the programme.

Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are the top four teams in Asia, followed by Malaysia.

The national team may only have the Asian Seven Series to look forward to in the next three years as the Sea Games in Vietnam (next year) and in Cambodia (2023) are unlikely to feature the sport.