KUCHING: Sarawak’s women’s rugby team secured a top-four finish at the PraSUKMA Balik Pulau 7s 15th Edition tournament after recording three wins and reaching the playoffs in Penang from June 13 to 14.
Sarawak made a strong start to their campaign, defeating Wipers 31-7 before edging Kedah 10-5 in their second Group D match.
The team then suffered back-to-back defeats, falling 24-10 to Selangor and 10-5 to Melaka to conclude the opening day of competition.
On the second day, Sarawak bounced back with a 17-5 victory over hosts Pulau Pinang to finish second in Group D and advance to the third-fourth placing playoff.
However, Johor proved too strong in the playoff, claiming a 21-0 victory to leave Sarawak fourth overall.
Prior to the tournament, team manager Faqrul Hafiz Abu Bakar said the team’s objective was to improve on its performance from the PraSUKMA Melaka 7s.
“Improvement in performance based on our PraSUKMA Melaka 7s game analysis, execution in general play, tactical aspects in defence and attack, confidence and fitness are among the key areas we want to focus on,” he said before the tournament.
The Sarawak squad also featured five former SUKMA players as part of its campaign in Balik Pulau.
