SELANGOR: Confidence is growing in the Sarawak women’s rugby camp as head coach Sylvia Alexander Lian believes the squad’s hard work and improved performances could pave the way for a breakthrough at SUKMA Selangor 2026.
With the team now complete, Sylvia said her players were mentally and physically prepared for the challenge, having stepped up their preparations through match simulations.
“So far, most of the team is already here and the team is complete. Everybody is mentally and physically ready.
“We have been doing simulations and I can see that they have improved a lot,” she told Sarawak Tribune here today (Aug 19).
Sarawak have been drawn in a group alongside Pahang, Melaka and Penang, with the team opening their campaign against Pahang at 9.45 am tomorrow at Stadium Sultan Suleiman, Klang, before facing Melaka at 2.20 pm.
While confident of their chances, Sylvia said the team would not underestimate any of their opponents despite having faced them previously.
“We have played against them before, but we cannot look down on them,” she said.
With women’s rugby continuing to grow in strength, Sylvia believes Sarawak have an opportunity to take another step forward this time.
She said the coaching staff had placed their trust in the players after witnessing their commitment and hard work throughout preparations.
“We put our trust in the girls. They have been training really hard, so we just let them play and enjoy the game. Whatever the result is, we should be proud,”she said.
Sarawak’s immediate target is to reach the quarter-finals and then push for a place in the semi-finals, which would guarantee the team a podium finish.
“Pray that we will succeed. Our grouping is quite good, and our target is the quarter-finals and semi-finals. If we can win the quarter-final, we already have the podium in our hands,”she said.
