PETALING JAYA: There will be no national rugby competitions this year but states are free to hold their own events.
This was confirmed by the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya, who said they are taking the cue from Asia Rugby.
On Aug 1, Asia Rugby announced the cancellation of all competitions scheduled from Oct 1 to Dec 31.
That means there will be no Super League and Super Cup but MRU affiliates are allowed to hold competitions in their respective states.
“Even for 2021, we do not know what is in store because Asia Rugby is doing a quarter-by-quarter review due to Covid-19. However, we are not stopping our affiliates from holding competitions.
“Also, we encourage the national 15s players to turn out in these competitions to gain match fitness and competitive exposure.”
He added that the state leagues are allowed to run because locally managed tournaments can be done in a controlled environment compared to a bigger national championships.
For now, only the national sevens team are training at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil, while the union team headed by coach Brad Mika will not be having any centralised camp soon.
Meanwhile, Shahrul revealed that they will be signing a memorandum of understanding with Universiti Teknologi Mara as they look to tap into the varsity’s expertise in sports science.
“It is a win-win situation because we get to utilise their sports science facilities and they will have access to our players for their research. It is a long-term partnership that is meant to strengthen the game’s development here.
“Not to forget, Universiti Putra Malaysia is the national rugby centre of excellence while we also have a deal with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
“These collaborations are meant to ensure that our programmes will bear fruit in the future.
“And most of our players are from these varsities, so we need to have a good relationship with them.”
This was confirmed by the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya, who said they are taking the cue from Asia Rugby.
On Aug 1, Asia Rugby announced the cancellation of all competitions scheduled from Oct 1 to Dec 31.
That means there will be no Super League and Super Cup but MRU affiliates are allowed to hold competitions in their respective states.
“Even for 2021, we do not know what is in store because Asia Rugby is doing a quarter-by-quarter review due to Covid-19. However, we are not stopping our affiliates from holding competitions.
“Also, we encourage the national 15s players to turn out in these competitions to gain match fitness and competitive exposure.”
He added that the state leagues are allowed to run because locally managed tournaments can be done in a controlled environment compared to a bigger national championships.
For now, only the national sevens team are training at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil, while the union team headed by coach Brad Mika will not be having any centralised camp soon.
Meanwhile, Shahrul revealed that they will be signing a memorandum of understanding with Universiti Teknologi Mara as they look to tap into the varsity’s expertise in sports science.
“It is a win-win situation because we get to utilise their sports science facilities and they will have access to our players for their research. It is a long-term partnership that is meant to strengthen the game’s development here.
“Not to forget, Universiti Putra Malaysia is the national rugby centre of excellence while we also have a deal with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
“These collaborations are meant to ensure that our programmes will bear fruit in the future.
“And most of our players are from these varsities, so we need to have a good relationship with them.”
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