Badrul and Samuel picked for Global Rapid Rugby

National rugby players Samuel Rentap Anak Meran (left) and Badrul Musa will feature in the exhibitation match in Perth

KUALA LUMPUR: National rugby players Badrul Musa and Samuel Rentap Anak Meran have been selected to represent the Malaysia Valke team in an exhibition Global Rapid Rugby match in Perth on Saturday.

Rapid Rugby is an international rugby union competition that launched a showcase series for six professional teams this year which was played in locations across the Asia-Pacific region.

Rapid Rugby matches are played for 70 minutes and have other variations from standard rugby laws that are intended to increase the speed of the game.

The majority of the Malaysia Valke squad comes from South Africa who are with the Valke Club in Johannes-burg. They will take on hosts Wes-tern Force, a former Super Rugby team.

The Malaysian Rugby Union president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya said they sent the Malaysia Valke for the exhibition match as they want to compete in the tournament proper next year.

“We want Badrul and Samuel to gain experience and get a feel of the different rules in the 15-a-side match.

“Next year, national coach Bradley (Mika) wants five locals in the Malaysia Valke team, ” said Shahrul.

Badrul, 27, who has represented Malaysia since 2010, is a winger with the Eagles Rugby Club in Sandakan while the 22-year-old Samuel is a flanker with the Cobra club and made his international debut in a Test match against Sri Lanka in May.