Club built on passion
Cobra continue to make a mark in local and foreign rugby scene
ONE name always comes to mind when it comes to rugby. And it’s the Combined Old Boys Rugby Association (Cobra), who are now known as the Cobra Rugby Club.
Formed on June 8, 1967, the club have come a long way, achieved many milestones and played a huge role in developing rugby for boys and girls aged between seven and 16.
The club have also organised numerous age-group tournaments and trained teachers to become coaches and referees.
Of their many achievements, one that not many are aware of is that it was Cobra who introduced the 10-a-side game to the world when they held the Cobra Rugby 10s in 1967.
The Cobra 10s tournament was the brainchild of Dr Chan Onn Leng, a founding member of the club.
The Cobra 10s became an international tournament in 1992 when foreign clubs were invited to compete for the first time.
Now, even all the top rugby playing nations – such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, England, Argentina and Samoa – are hosting their own rugby 10s tournaments. So, how did Cobra come about?
It seems that in the 1960s, only uniformed bodies like the Royal Malaysian Police and Armed Forces had rugby teams. So there was no opportunity for school leavers to play the game.
A small group of rugby enthusiasts then got together to form the club in 1967 as a means of providing an opportunity for school leavers and university students to play the game.
From its humble beginnings, the club slowly but surely grew into an iconic symbol of Malaysian rugby, largely thanks to the club members’ love and passion for the game.
“The pioneer members volunteered their time and efforts to ensure the success of the club,” said Dr Hui Weng Choon, who was the club’s first president.
“Many talented players would not have received their recognitions if not for Cobra club. The club provided them with the opportunity to play the game.
“At one time, the national team had the most numbers of players from the Cobra club and that’s something we were proud of.”
Cobra have indeed produced many players who have gone on to represent and captain the national teams, including the likes of Jagjit Singh and Boon Hoon Chee.
Former president Tan Sri Krishnan Tan, who is also the organising chairman of this weekend’s Cobra 10s, was also quick to attribute the club’s success to the passion and dedication of their members.
“We hardly have 100 members, yet we managed to survive all these years and it’s all due to our members, who have worked tirelessly to ensure success.
“We must also thank our sponsors such as Carlsberg and IJM Corporation Berhad for their endless financial support. It costs us RM600,000 to organise the tournament and we couldn’t have done it without them,” said Krishnan, who was the longest serving president from 1995 to 2009.
Krishnan hopes that the Cobra 10s will one day be as popular around the world as the Hong Kong 7s.
“Cobra have made a tremendous contribution to rugby in Malaysia and we will continue to do so for years to come,” said Krishnan.
It’s no surprise then that Cobra have received numerous awards for their contributions to rugby.
They received the National Sports Leadership Award from the National Sports Council (NSC) in 1996 for their contribution towards the promotion and development of rugby in Malaysia.
In 2002, Cobra were awarded the IOC Diploma by the International Olympic Council (IOC) for their contribution towards sports.
In 2015, the Malaysian Rugby Union named Cobra as the “Best Club for Rugby Development Programme”.
But wait, Cobra are not done yet. Cobra, who are made up of four teams – Cobra Black (men’s senior), Cobra Sting (boys), Cobra Venom (women) and Cobra Legends (veterans) – have been promoting women’s rugby over the last few years.
And it culminated with the inaugural women’s Cobra 10s last weekend to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary.
Ten teams took part and FRC (Front Runners Club) Dingoes beat Cobra in the final.
Four of the Cobra Venom players were members of the Malaysian women’s 7s team who won their first-ever medal – a bronze – at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August.
Cobra president Tommy Pereira said that they also launched the first structured nationwide schools rugby programme in 2003.
“The CIMB-Cobra Schools rugby development programme, which ran until 2014, was a success.
“In 2015, Cobra launched the first-ever National Under-19 League.
“We will continue to develop rugby as we want to make the game a success and produce quality players,” said Tommy.
So, as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, let’s all salute the men and women of Cobra club for keeping the fire burning in the hearts of all rugby fans.