KUALA LUMPUR − In an effort to promote more local talents at the international level, the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) will not be including naturalised players for their Bunga Raya 7s men and women’s teams this year.
MRU president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Datuk Yahya said that the decision is part of the governing body’s preparations for the upcoming Asian Rugby Championships − to be held in Dubai, UAE on November 19 and 20 − after two years of not competing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Even though we had naturalised players before this, we believe that our young local players need the experience and opportunities to hone their skills in rugby by having them compete in these tournaments after being stagnant for two years.
“For the record, we are still using naturalised players for our 15s team instead of the 7s men and women’s teams.
“In terms of comparison, the naturalised players have an advantage due to their bigger build in size compared to our local players. However, I still believe that they can perform after gaining some experience in the field,” he told Bernama in an interview.
He added that MRU has to follow the regulations from multi-sports organisations, such as the organising committees of the SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the International Olympic Committee, which do not allow naturalised players to compete in their tournaments.
The new Bunga Raya 7s teams will be competing in the qualifying Asian Rugby Championships in Dubai for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens to be held in Cape Town Stadium, South Africa from September 9 to 11. – Bernama, November 10, 2021
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