Rugby coach bucks the trend of opting for naturalised players in Asia Sevens

PETALING JAYA: At a time when many national sports bodies are turning to naturalised and mixed heritage athletes in search of quick success, rugby coach Nik Safuan Ismade has chosen to go against the grain.

For the opening leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Hangzhou starting this Saturday, Nik Safuan is banking fully on local talent.

He sees the current squad as part of a long-term plan, while also serving as preparation for the SEA Games in Thailand this December.

Most of the players selected are those who stood out in the Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) tournaments, the Malaysia Games (Sukma), along with a sprinkling of senior players.

“If you look at it, we don’t have foreign players, and this has been the case for the Sevens team for a long time,” said Nik Safuan.

“Realistically, I don’t think we need to look too far. Competing at the South-East Asian and Asian level is enough, provided we have sufficient funding to run proper training programmes. We’ve shown before that with an all-local line-up we could succeed, such as winning the bronze medal at the 2023 Asia Series in Bangkok.

“For me, when it comes to Sevens, I don’t want naturalised players even though we could use them. I still believe we can go far with local players.

Malaysia face a tough challenge in the first leg after being drawn with Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uzbekistan.

Still, Nik Safuan has reminded his charges not to be overawed, setting a minimum target of staying in the Series and avoiding relegation to the lower Trophy division.

“If you look at our group, Hong Kong are the favourites while the UAE rely heavily on naturalised players, mostly from Fiji. So, I’ve set the target that we must try to beat Uzbekistan to keep our chances alive.

“As for Hong Kong and the UAE, we’ll try to reduce the gap even though we know the UAE have the strength of six Fijian players. I want my boys to use these matches as a chance to test themselves against stronger opposition,” added Nik Safuan.