Malaysia 7s team will be one of the teams to watch at the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia.
Having seen their fifteen-a-side counterparts take centre stage during the recent Asia Rugby Championship, the sevens team are raring to go for the Asian Games this weekend.
Having won hearts globally with their performances at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, captain Zulkiflee Azmi is hoping to use that experience to their advantage when they face Japan, Chinese Taipei and hosts Indonesia.
“We are looking to create our own history at the Asian Games as a side,” said Azmi.
“We are aiming to beat the best previous achievement in the Asian Games when we finished fifth in 2010 in Guangzhou.”
However Malaysia perform, there are wider objectives for their appearance in this multi-sport event.
“We are also looking forward to putting Malaysia 7s in the top of Asia Rugby Sevens, alongside the likes of Japan, Hong Kong and Korea,” added Azmi.
“Our target therefore is to reach the semi-finals, and if we achieve better that is a bonus.
“Showcasing our talent to Asia, and to more people back home will have an impact on getting more people playing this sport.”
And what did the Malaysians learn from their Commonwealth Games experience that they can take into this event?
“We learnt how to handle the crowd, it was big then and it will be big this weekend,” explained Azmi.
“We also played against some of the best in the world so were able to see how to defend against the fastest and strongest guys.”
Malaysia 7s Squad
Amalul Hazim Nasarrudin, Mohamad Khairul Abdillah Ramli, Mohamad Safwan Abdullah, Muhamad Firdaus Tarmizi, Muhammad Ameer Nasrun Zulkeffli, Muhammad Azwan Zuwairi Mat Zizi, Muhammad Dzafran Asyraaf Muhamad Zainudin, Muhammad Haikal Ibrahim, Muhammad Siddiq Amir Jalil, Muhammad Zulhisham Rasli, Wan Izzuddin Ismail, Zulkiflee Azmi
