KUALA LUMPUR: There were no surprises as the Bunga Raya squad opened their campaign in the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) with a heavy 55-5 defeat to South Korea today.
Playing with the support of their home fans at the Namdong Stadium in Incheon, South Korea did not take long to assert their authority in the match.
South Korea opened up a healthy 38-0 lead by half time and maintained their momentum in the second half.
Hwang Jeongwook was the standout man for South Korea, scoring three tries while Lee Jinkyu scored two. Kim Chan Ju, Lee Hyeonje, Jeong Yeonsik and Lee Yongun also managed a try each.
Ko Seungjae successfully converted five of them.
Malaysia's solitary try was scored by Shobrey Amok in the second half.
National team head coach Farid Syazwan Abu Bakar admitted that his charges were unable to settle into a rhythm.
"We struggled in the first half and were unable to settle down. The two yellows we picked up also affected our momentum
"We tried to come back in the second half but we made a number of mistakes.
"Obviously, this was not the result we were hoping for. We still have a lot to improve on before we play Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates."
Datuk Zamruni Khalid, ambassador of Malaysia to South Korea, also attended the match.
Malaysia will next face defending champions Hong Kong at the Universiti Putra Malaysia Stadium in Serdang on June 8 followed by the UAE in Dubai on June 21.