KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's hopes of a golden double were dashed when both the men's and women's rugby 7s teams lost in their respective finals of the Southeast Asia 7s (SEA 7s) at the Singapore National Stadium today.
The national men's team, under the guidance of coach Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man, came into this tournament as defending champions but were outdone by Thailand 10-5 in the final, with Malaysia scoring a try through Muhammad Safiy Md Said while the Thais went one better by scoring two tries.
"We accept the defeat as our team lacked fitness, having only had 19 training sessions during Ramadan, compared to the Thais who have been preparing non-stop since 2023.
"Anyway, I consider this a very good start for the team as they gear up for the SEA Games (in Thailand) at the end of this year,” Nik Safuan Ismade said in a statement shared by Malaysia Rugby (MR).
Meanwhile, there was no fairytale ending for the national women's team after they were beaten 12-5 by hosts Singapore.
The national women's 7s team created history yesterday when they made the final for the first time after six editions by stunning defending champions Thailand 17-12 in the semi-finals.
"In the final, our opponents shone and we admit we lost to a better side.
"Still a lot of room for improvement,” said national women's 7s head coach Muhammad Faiz Samsukhidir.
-- BERNAMA
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