Ninety-five boys aged 12 to 13 participated in Malaysia’s first Get Into Rugby event of 2017 at Sekolah Sains Tuanku Jaafar, Kuala Pilah.
STJ as it is popularly known is a fully residential school (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh) in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The institution has been awarded the Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi or High-Performance School title, conferred to schools in Malaysia that have met stringent criteria including academic achievement, strength of alumni, and international recognition.
The GIR session was conducted by former national player Farid Rahman along with coaches and players from the Home Of Warriors Rugby Club.
The boys were eager to learn and were quick to pick up the GIR modules. The main aim of the session was to introduce the boys to the fun aspects of the game. The day was enjoyed by all involved and made for a good new year’s start to GIR in Malaysia.
“Malaysia Rugby is doing an exceptional job in promoting the game in Asia.” Said Ben van Rooyen, Asia Rugby’s Get Into Rugby Coordinator. Malaysia Rugby is a key union in Asia to drive participation and development in the run up to Asia’s first hosting of the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019.
The growth in Malaysia speaks for itself. In 2016 close to 11 000 boys and girls from 184 schools and universities were engaged in Malaysia Rugby’s Get Into Rugby programme.
“GIR is not only about rugby but about children having fun in an active way with their peers”
