Malaysia need home support against big guns

“We are expecting it to be a very tough tournament as there is a big gap in quality between the teams competing in Division One and the top three (Tri Nations), so we have to do well in our home matches,” said Nyuk Fah today.

“We are very happy and honoured to be given the opportunity to play at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. This is something that we have been looking forward to for a long time.

“It is a dream come true for many of us as it is a very big stadium with a capacity of 85,000.

“We are hoping that Malaysian rugby fans will come out to support the team. I will be happy if we are able to see 30,000 fans come for the match.

“This will give our boys the needed motivation and confidence. We need all the support we can get in our home matches.”

The national team will play their first two matches in the league format competition at home against South Korea (April 28) and Hong Kong (May 5) followed by away games against South Korea (May 19) and Hong Kong (May 26).

Nyuk Fah said the team have just finished their first phase of centralised training from Nov 1Dec 20 at the National Sports Complex.

“The first phase of training has been largely focused on strength and conditioning and I think we have made good progress so far.

The second phase of centralised training will be held on Jan 5-March 6.

The third phase, on March 7-26, will see the squad heading for a stint in Auckland, New Zealand where they will train and also play friendly matches against Division 1 teams there. Fadhli Ishak