SCOTS COLLEGE RETURNS TO HAUNT TITLE PRETENDERS

Scots College of New Zealand, famous for its rousing haka dance and mesmerising opposing teams, will once again feature in the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby Tournament  from 28th February to 1st March at the hallowed grounds of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

The Kiwis, together with Vajiravudh College of Thailand and Hong Kong Sports School, are the three international schools who will be joined by 21 other Malaysian schools in the tournament.

Scots College is best remembered for defeating two-time champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School of Johor (SSTMI) 43-0 in the semi-finals stage and Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR) in the 2014 Cup final with score of 36-14.

However, along the way Scots College had shattered the hearts of many pretenders to the title by winning matches with huge margins with at least five tries in each game while only SMK Sultan Yahya Petra 1 from Kelantan and STAR dared to cross the line of defence.

Jointly organised by the Malay College Kuala Kangsar and All Blacks Revival (ABR) Committee of The Malay College Old Boys’ Association (MCOBA), the MCKK Premier 7's 2015 has the support of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

MCOBA President, Dato’ Ghazali Mat Ariff said the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby tournament under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Nazrin Muizuddin Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfurlah, will continue to enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere this year.

“It is without doubt the most prestigious school rugby tournament in Malaysia. The objective of organising the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby tournament is to encourage the revival of rugby among the participating schools and to assist in shaping the development of rugby in Malaysia,” said Dato’ Ghazali Mat Ariff at a press conference today at the MCOBA Building in Kuala Lumpur.

Among those in attendance at the launch of the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby tournament were Dato’ Dr. Ramlan Abd Aziz, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Institute who is also a former student of MCKK, Firdaus Monir, the General Manager of IT & Network Technology Telekom Malaysia, Wan Kamaruddin Wan Mohamed Ali, the Co-chairman of the Organising Committee, MCKK Senior Assistant for Co-Curriculum Azmi Jimat, Tournament Director Amrul Hazarin Hamidon, sponsors and former MCKK students.

The MCKK Premier 7's 2015 involve teams from Malaysian premier schools, state champions and international schools. It is an Under-17 age-group Invitational International Tournament where 24 school teams will compete for the honour of winning the coveted NJ Ryan Trophy.

The NJ Ryan Cup is in honour of the late Dato’ NJ Ryan, who initiated the formation of a rugby team in MCKK and was also the ninth principal of then college. The Malay College All Blacks, as it was popularly known, went on to become a rugby powerhouse in the country, winning many state and national level championships. Later on, at the turn of the century, the rugby team experienced a decline in fortunes and found it hard to compete with other rising rugby forces at the school level in Malaysia.

In 2009, MCOBA decided to try their best in arresting the downward progress and the All Blacks Revival Committee was born. Immediately, they planned and devised a way to uplift the standard of rugby in MCKK and ultimately, other rugby playing Malaysian schools.

Dato’ Ghazali added that the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby Tournament is of national interest as it involves the top rugby schools from every State in Malaysia and top rugby-playing schools from neighbouring countries.

Two-time champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School of Johor (SSTMI), 2013 champions The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), Kelantan’s SMK Sultan Yahya Petra 1, Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR), SMK Sains Selangor (Kuala Lumpur), Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (Putrajaya), SM Sains Hulu Selangor and Royal Military College (RMC) are expected to lead the local challenge against the foreign schools.

The other schools competing are Kolej Vokasional Arau (Perlis), SM Sultan Abdul Halim, SM Sains Pokok Sena (Kedah), SMK King Edward VII (Perak), Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Gombak, SMK Taman Kosas (Selangor), Victoria Institution, Sekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak (SDAR), SMK King George V (Negeri Sembilan), Kolej Yayasan Saad (Malacca); Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Kuantan (Pahang), Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mahmud (Terengganu) and SMK Agama Sheikh Haji Othman Abdul Wahab (Sarawak), as announced by the Tournament Director, Amrul Hazarin Hamidon

“The Organising Committee wishes to take this opportunity to record our appreciation for the support provided by Telekom Malaysia Berhad as the Title Sponsor of the MCKK Premier 7s 2015 Rugby Tournament,” said Dato’ Ghazali, adding that the tournament would not have been possible without support from the corporate sector.

He also acknowledged the support provided by all major sponsors, in particular Bloomberg TV Malaysia, Ranhill Bhd, Cyberview, Proton, Modenas, KPJ Healthcare Bhd, Carisbrook, Supreme Landmobile & Wireless Corporation and SA Kargo Sdn Bhd. 

MALAYSIA END THAILAND’S DOMINATION

Malaysia defeated reigning champions Thailand 2-0 in the final of the ISTAF SuperSeries MALAYSIA 2014/15 MELAKA at the Malacca International Trade Centre today.

It was Malaysia’s first ever ISTAF SuperSeries victory, created in this 753-year-old historical city of Malacca which is also where the game of sepaktakraw originated in the 15^th century according to written records in the Malay Annals or Sejarah Melayu.

The Malaysians won 21-7, 21-19 in 50 minutes to capture the coveted trophy in this second round of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15, witnessed by the Malacca State Executive Councillor for Sports and Health, Datuk Hj Ab Rahaman Ab Karim, National Sports Council director-general Dato’ Ahmad Shapawi Ismail and more than 3,000 fans who had filled the seats in MITC two hours prior to the start of play.

The Thais have been a dominant force since the 2011/12 inaugural event, winning all ISTAF SuperSeries tournaments. It is also the first time that the national sepaktakraw team defeated the Thais after their gold-medal winning effort at the 2005 SEA Games in Manila, closing a 10-year-old sad chapter.

The hosts also played second fiddle to the Thais in the final of the season opening ISTAF SuperSeries MYANMAR 2014/15 following a 2-1 defeat at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium in Nay Pyi Taw last November.

Malaysian coach Abdul Talib Ahmad, said: “This has been a fantastic moment for us. Our players rose to the occasion and this mesmerised the Thais in the first set. Syahir (Rosdi) played some superb serves and Farhan (Adam), Hanafiah (Dollah) and Khairol (Zaman) did most of the damage at the net.”

“We made tactical changes and that served us very well. This victory has been a boost in our preparation for the third round of the ISTAF SuperSeries and the SEA Games,” added Ahmad.

Malaysia made one change to the side that defeated Singapore in Saturday’s semi-finals. The introduction of Hanafiah as striker instead of the regular Khairol in the first set alongside team captain and feeder Farhan and Syahir (tekong) was a tactical change that mesmerised Thailand.

The Thais had ace striker Thawisek Thongsai in their side, rested the left-footed Siriwat Sakha as tekong in place for Kritsanapong Nontakote instead but retained Panupong Petlue in the feeder’s role.

But the day certainly belonged to the Malaysians, who were simply mercurial at all fronts with Syahir serving out seven aces at speeds of 75km/h while Hanafiah and Farhan combined effectively with a total of 11 spikes domination the net to win the first set 21-7 in 18 minutes much to delight of the fans.

The second set went Malaysia’s way in the initial stage with the hosts leading 6-3 but the Thais drew level at 8-8. However, the introduction of striker Suriyon Koonpimon, replacing Panupong, changed the momentum of the game, bending very much towards the Thais who for the first time shot into a 10-8 lead and then 15-12 much to chagrin of the Malaysian bench and fans.

Coach Abdul Talib’s decision to introduce Khairol at this stage, proved to be a turning point for the Malaysians. The nippy striker proved to be a bane to the Thais as his leaping spikes and perfect timing to block any attempts by the champions proved fruitful.

The Thais rallied back strongly to level at 17-17 and then closed in at 19-19 but another ace from Syahir moved the hosts to 20-19 and in the ensuing rally Suriyon sent the ball out much to the celebration of fans, players and team officials.

In the match for third-fourth placing, Korea defeated Singapore 21-16, 21-16 for some consolation while Myanmar edged China 21-16, 21-13  to claim fifth position and Indonesia made up for their group stage disappointment with a 21-18, 21-17 victory over Japan to end seventh.

The National women’s team once again avoided finishing in last position with a 21-8, 21-9 victory over Japan. The inexperienced Malaysian side closed fifth in the tournament, emulating their position in the season opening ISTAF SuperSeries MYANMAR 2014/15 in Nay Pyi Taw in November last year. Myanmar, meanwhile, saw off Korea 21-17, 21-15 to finish third.

Thailand, who won every single ISTAF SuperSeries title since the first tournament commenced in 2011, showed no sign of giving up their dominance of the game by defeating Vietnam 21-8 in the first set 12-12 in the second.

ISTAF SuperSeries MALAYSIA 2014/15 MELAKA is the second leg of the ISTAF SuperSeries after the success of the opening round in Myanmar. The tournament is jointly organised by the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) and Asia Sports Ventures (ASV), ISTAF’s exclusive global commercial and developmental partner. It is being held with the support of the Malacca State Government and Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia.

ISTAF SuperSeries MALAYSIA 2014/15 MELAKA was televised on ASTRO Arena, ASTRO SuperSports, ASTRO SuperSports HD and RTM. For the very first time, fans could also catch all four days of tournament action live on www.sepaktakraw.org.

RESULTS

Men’s Competition

Final: Malaysia bt Thailand 2-0 (21-7, 21-19).

3^rd-4^th Playoff: Korea bt Singapore 2-0 (21-16, 21-16).

Women’s Competition

FINAL:  Thailand bt Vietnam 2-0 (21-8, 21-12).

3^rd-4^th Playoff: Myanmar bt Korea 2-0 (21-17, 21-15)