National rugby coach glad all teams start on equal footing

Malaysia's Etonia Saukuru (left) tries to get past from Hong Kong's Matthew Rosslee during the Asia Rugby Championship 2018 at National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.

PETALING JAYA: Last year’s outing in the Asian Rugby Championship (ARC) proved to be a painful journey for the national team.

Finishing last with a point, the team led by coach Brad Mika were humbled by the likes of South Korea and Hong Kong in the tournament.

In four matches, they scored 54 points but conceded a whopping 191.

It was a lesson well learnt, and for Mika, it was a process that the boys had to go through.

And he is thankful for the break due to the Covid-19 pandemic as he feels that all the teams in the championships will start on equal footing when the tournament resumes. This year’s edition has been postponed.

“The Covid-19 period has made the players, coaches and management much hungrier. It’s not just because we are away from rugby for a long time, but we also cannot wait to be part of the ARC again,” said the former All-Blacks player.

“In previous years, South Korea and Hong Kong have always had a head start because their leagues begin early, but with the Covid-19 pandemic causing a lockdown, I think we are all on an even-par.

“No one has been training, and we all pretty much will start around at the same time if we get the nod to play. I can’t wait to coach and have a bit of fun with the boys.”

All the national team players have concentrated on their strength and conditioning training via zoom sessions with the coaches during the lockdown.

Mika has been killing time too by watching various podcasts and webinars on the game and even had the time to chat with other coaches on what can be done post-Covid-19.

“Most of the boys are self-motivated, and I’ve seen them training on their own quite often. It’s good to stay prepared as we may get to play towards the end of the year.”