KUALA LUMPUR – The national rugby seven-a-side (7s) squad has managed to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) vice president Fahmy Jalil said the team, known as the Bunga Raya 7s, qualified after placing second in the list of teams from Commonwealth countries that participated in the Asian Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), recently.
As such, Fahmy said the national squad will participate in an early preparation camp for Birmingham at the National Sports Council, Bukit Jalil next January.
“A total of 20 players will be called up to undergo training in Bukit Jalil under coach Saizul Hafifi Md Noor,” he said.
The national men’s rugby squad came in seventh out of eight teams at the 2021 Rugby Sevens Series.
The Bunga Raya 7s squad beat the Philippines 28-19 in the seventh/eight place ranking match last Sunday.
Sri Lanka took the other qualifying slot to Birmingham after finishing fifth overall in the series.
This is the sixth appearance for the national rugby squad at the Commonwealth Games since their first ever appearance in 1998 when the country hosted the games.
Malaysia failed to qualify for the 2006 Games in Melbourne, Australia. – Bernama, November 27, 2021
