KUALA LUMPUR: The national rugby squad will have no margin for error when they play Sri Lanka in the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) relegation-cum-promotional playoff on April 19.
Malaysia Rugby (MR) honorary secretary Fahmy Jalil said the match has been confirmed and is likely to be played at the Johor Rugby Stadium.
"It will only be one match, not home-and-away. The loser will play in Division One next year while the winner will play in the Premier Division," said Fahmy when contacted today.
"As for now, it is likely to be played in Johor but we will make a final announcement later on closer towards the match."
Despite finishing last every season since being promoted to the ARC top-tier in 2018, Malaysia has never been relegated. This is because ARC was cancelled in 2020-2021 (Covid) and the Division One competition only returned to full strength this year.
Sri Lanka won the Division One competition this season and Fahmy believes they will be tough to beat.
Malaysia defeated Sri Lanka 22-9 in the ARC Division One competition in 2017, which was the last time the two nations faced-off in the 15s format.
"Sri Lanka's current side is quite strong and playing against them will definitely be a tough challenge for us," added Fahmy.
"We had about four or five naturalised Fijians when we last played them. The situation has changed now."
Malaysia currently does not have any naturalised Fijians eligible to play for the Bunga Raya squad. A foreign player must spend five years playing in a country to be eligible for naturalised status.