KUALA LUMPUR: After being forced to sit out the last two editions of the Sea Games, Malaysia Rugby (MR) is hoping the national sevens squad can reclaim the Southeast Asian crown at the Thailand edition next year.
Rugby will be making its comeback at the Thailand Sea Games after being left out of the 2021 Hanoi (held in 2022) and last year's Phnom Penh Sea Games.
MR honorary secretary Fahmy Jalil said the tournament presents a "golden opportunity" for the national team.
Malaysia won its first-ever Sea Games rugby gold at Kuala Lumpur 2017 but lost to Philippines in the final two years later.
"The last time we played at the Sea Games was during the Manila edition in 2019 so this is definitely a long-awaited opportunity," said Fahmy today.
"We have a new generation of players coming up now and they have shown some promising signs this season after winning the Southeast Asia Sevens in May and also finishing in the top-six in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series this year.
"This is definitely a golden opportunity for us to reclaim the Sea Games gold.
"We expect the Philippines to again be tough, especially if they call up their expatriate players, but we will work out a strategy to face them. It is not impossible to beat them."
MR is also in negotiation to have 17 of their players sign contracts with the National Sports Council (NSC) so they can train full-time beginning January.
"We are still working out the details with NSC and expect to finalise everything during our working committee meeting (JKK) with them next month," said Fahmy.
"It is important that the players train full-time in the run up to the games to ensure that they are able to achieve peak physical condition and also make sure that their training momentum is not disrupted."
Fahmy disclosed that MR have decided to retain Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man, who took the reins in July last year, as the sevens squad head coach for next season.