SIBU: The Sibu Division Rugby Union (SDRU) is sending a team comprising mostly amateur players for the Kuching Rugby 7-a-side tournament which begins today at Kuching’s Song Kheng Hai Field.
File picture shows SDRU and KFRU players fighting for the title in the recent Sarawak Rugby Cup held in Sibu.
Its coach Michael Ting regarded the trip more for experience and exposure for his team of young players.
“The boys will be going for the experience. Of course, if they can come back with the title, that will be wonderful and majestic,” he added.
A total of 12 teams, including two reputable teams from the Peninsula – Cobra and Black Hawk – are gunning for top honours.
Organiser Kuching Rugby Football Club, UiTM and Kuching SHAOW Old Boys are sending two teams each with Bintulu Division Rugby Union, Miri Division Rugby Union and the newly formed Mukah Division Rugby Union sending a team each.
SDRU’s sole Fijian player Iowane Sovatabua is again spearheading the Sibu team while the rest of the players are mainly fresh graduates and students.
“This is an opportunity for my players to showcase their skills. On paper, they are not expected to proceed beyond the group match but if they played to the best of their abilities, they should be a force to be reckoned with,” said Ting.
He would also be using the championship to select potential players to represent Sibu in the coming Baram Rugby Trophy slated to be held in Miri on October 25.
“Hopefully, the players will show their potential to earn a call-up for the Baram Rugby Trophy,” he added.
The trophy was named after the Baram River in the Fourth Division where the Orang Ulu and the upper river people originate from.
Over the years, the championship had attracted numerous teams from Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Baram Trophy had been won by the Panaga Crocs for three consecutive times in the 1990s.
Last year, the Sabah Eagles took the title after beating the Cobras from the Peninsula while SDRU won the Plate championship.
For this year’s edition, Miri Division Rugby Union (MDRU) will again host the event aimed at keeping the legacy of the development of rugby in the state.
SDRU have won the title for a number of times in the 1990s. The were also champions in 2008 and 2010.