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.