Rugby squad banking on coach's 'secret recipe' for Asian Games

Malaysia's national men's rugby sevens team faces a tough challenge at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (Sept 19-Oct 4) as they are placed in a challenging group alongside Hong Kong, China, and Uzbekistan. Deputy captain Hafiezie Sudin revealed that head coach Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man has been working on a secret plan to overcome the formidable opponents.

The team will need to secure at least two wins to advance to the quarter-finals and compete for the top-two spots. Although Hong Kong and China are considered heavyweights, Hafiezie believes that their coach's secret recipe will help them give their best effort to make it to the quarter-finals and progress further. The underdogs must adopt a different tactical approach, as relying on the same strategies will not suffice against the strong competition.

The tournament also includes tournament favorites Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Kazakhstan in Group B, while Group C, consisting of Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and the Philippines, is considered the weakest group. To gain valuable experience, both the men's and women's national squads will participate in the opening leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Suzhou, China, from Aug 29-30.

MR held a flag-handing ceremony for the squads in Kuala Lumpur today and signed a sponsorship agreement with Torpeedo Resources Sdn Bhd.