KUCHING: Five Sarawak players have taken a major step forward after being named among 47 players invited to the national Women’s 15s camp.
The call-up comes as Malaysia builds towards the SEARF Women’s 15s Championship in February.
The players — Cuthberta Entai, Petresia Jenet Dunstan, Elestie Lavinia Ali, Dayang Tsaniya Hudiya Awang Hamdin and Winnie Cralisia Kupar — have been included in the Malaysia 15s Women-SEARF Women’s Championship long list, underlining Sarawak’s growing contribution to the national women’s rugby programme.
The first selection camp will be held at Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya, this weekend on Jan 23 and 24, where the national coaching staff will begin assessing players ahead of the regional tournament.
Malaysia is set to host the inaugural Southeast Asian Rugby Federation (SEARF) Women’s 15s Championship, which will be contested in a round-robin format involving Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
The collaboration was formalised on Jun 21, 2025 with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony involving Malaysia Rugby, represented by Shahizam Tukiran; Singapore Rugby, represented by Angelina Liu; and Philippines Rugby president Ada Milby, confirming Malaysia as host of the inaugural edition.
Malaysia will open their campaign against Singapore on Feb 8 (Sunday) at 4 pm, followed by Singapore versus the Philippines on Feb 11 (Wednesday), before concluding the round-robin with Malaysia facing the Philippines on Feb 14 (Saturday).
All matches will kick off at 4 pm at Padang Astaka.
The call-up represents a significant milestone for the Sarawak players as they compete for places in the final national squad, while also reflecting the continued progress of women’s rugby development in the state.
