KUALA LUMPUR: The national rugby sevens squad showed promising signs ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (July 28-Aug 8) by reaching the semi-finals of the Sixways Sevens in England yesterday.
Led by captain Ameer Nasrun Zulkefli, Malaysia got off to a slow start, losing 32-0 to Samurai Rugby in their opening match at the Sixways Stadium in Worcester.
They, however, bounced back with wins over Midlands Mob 7s (29-14) and Prostate Cymru (17-7) to reach the last four.
Malaysia took the early lead against Ramblin Jesters in their semi-final match but lost 35-21. Jesters lost 12-10 to Army Men in the final.
National coach Saizul Hafifi Noor said he was surprised by his charges' performances.
"We knew the semi-final would be tough because Jesters are one of the best sevens sides in England," said Saizul today.
"The boys led with three early tries, but they (Jesters) showed their experience and came back strong in the second half.
"Overall, I am still happy as they were playing against bigger-built players. To be honest, I did not expect us to reach the semi-finals."
Hafifi added that there are still areas in which the team need to improve ahead of the Commonwealth competition.
The squad left for England on July 9.
"The reason we came here (England) early was to acclimatise with the weather and get used to playing against bigger opponents," said Hafifi.
"We still need to improve our defence as we saw in the game against Jesters."
Malaysia will next play a friendly against China, who have been training in the UK over the past few months, on Wednesday.
The squad will report to the games village in Birmingham on July 24.