KUALA LUMPUR: After reaching the Agong's Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2006, Selangor Rugby Union president Lim Yi Wei is determined to see the fallen giants continue improving.
Selangor's hopes of winning their first Agong's Cup title since 2006 - which was also the last year they reached the final-four - came to an end yesterday after losing 24-17 to Johor in the semi-finals at UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam yesterday (Oct 19).
Selangor were outplayed by Johor for most of the match but showed great fighting spirit to score two tries in the final three minutes.
Yi Wei admitted that they still have much room for improvement but is nevertheless optimistic for the future.
Selangor have won the Agong's Cup title six times in total though have struggled to make an impact in the nation's premier domestic 15s competition for almost two decades now.
"The last five minutes of the match showed that the squad is actually quite capable but just needs to be tighter and more aggressive," said Yi Wei.
"But overall, I think this has been a good season for us. We managed to reach the semi-finals for the first time in a very long time, to the point that nobody remembers when we last made it this far (semi-finals).
"I think the message we want to send is that Selangor is back. We will build on it and come back even stronger in our future matches.
"We have been pursuing more corporate sponsorship this year and we have been lucky to get LBS Foundation as one of our main sponsors this season.
"So far this year we have won the Malaysia Games (Sukma) women's gold medal and have now reached the Agong's Cup semi-finals. We want to show our sponsors that if you invest in us, the only way we can go is up."
Yi Wei was elected as Selangor president in February and is the first woman to lead the union. The 34-year-old played rugby during her university days remains and highly passionate about the sport.
Selangor still have a chance of finishing third in the Agong's Cup. They will play Terengganu in the third-place playoff on Oct 27, also at UiTM Stadium, which will be followed by the final between Johor and defending champions Police.