The Rise of the Perak Rugby Team
After a long wait, the Perak rugby squad, better known as The Silver Gaurus, finally ended their quest to become Agong's Cup champions with a victory against Johor in the 34th Agong's Cup Rugby Championship held in 2016. This tournament is held annually by the Malaysia Rugby Union (KRM) and involves rugby associations from every state.
For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, this 34th Agong's Cup Rugby Championship marked the first time Perak had won the Agong's Cup since they first joined the tournament. Generally, many prefer football, but the Perak rugby squad's victory in the 34th Agong's Cup has somewhat affected the popularity of football. The past victory has led more Perak residents to try playing rugby themselves after being inspired by the success of The Silver Gaurus squad.
The Perak rugby team is coached by Tuan Nazeer Nesharah. He was entrusted with leading and coaching the Perak state team. He has also devised various clever plans regarding fitness aspects as well as game strategies. In rugby, both aspects are crucial for a team. A player's stamina or fitness supports good game strategies to secure the championship title. For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, in the 33rd Agong's Cup Rugby Championship held two years ago in 2015, the Perak team also managed to reach the final round, but their hope of lifting the Agong's Cup was dashed when Perak lost to the Sabah team with a score of 28 to 16. Since then, The Silver Gaurus squad was determined to increase their efforts to bring the Agong's Cup home to Perak. Thanks to the hard work and persistence of the coach and the Perak state players, they finally managed to redeem the disappointment of the previous Agong's Cup season after navigating a difficult path to the final round and subsequently winning the 34th Agong's Cup Rugby Championship. Perak was drawn into Group A, which consisted of the Negeri Sembilan, Putrajaya, and Perlis teams. The Perak squad started on the right foot by winning their matches in the group stage. Because of that, The Silver Gaurus squad successfully advanced to the knockout stage.
Although they faced difficulties in the knockout stage when meeting stronger teams, the hard work and strength of the Perak state squad allowed them to win all their matches in the knockout stage. This qualified Perak to compete in the final round to meet the Johor team, which is a team that is not only strong but also highly experienced in rugby. The Perak team had to struggle hard before winning this final match. Although the Johor team initially appeared more consistent and many predicted that Johor would win the match, in the final moments of the game, the Perak state squad's fullback, Amir Aswad, managed to score a try that brought the Perak team to a draw. The match was then dragged into the stage of "
sudden death
". Muhammad Faizal, who is a winger, emerged as a hero after successfully completing a penalty goal kick, contributing 3 points for the Perak team to get ahead of Johor and crowning the Perak team as the champions of the 34th edition of the Agong's Cup. Perak's success in winning the Agong's Cup has certainly provided a boost of morale for everyone in the Perak Rugby Union to promote the game of rugby, which is becoming increasingly popular in Malaysia. In 2017, the Agong's Cup will be held from July 2017 to August 2017. The Perak team's mission remains the same: to lift the Agong's Cup once again, but this time in the context of defending it.
The Perak rugby team is also seen as capable of achieving more success because they have quality and great players, in addition to having a great coach who is skilled at planning strategies. It is hoped that the Perak rugby team will continue to progress and achieve more victories. For the badge on the chest! Let's win, yoep!!
