Hangzhou: The national men’s rugby sevens (7s) squad finished in sixth place at the 2025 Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Hangzhou, China, today. In the match for fifth and sixth place, the Bunga Raya 7s squad, coached by Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man, was defeated 17-26 by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia advanced to the fifth and sixth place decider after a narrow 14-10 victory over Taiwan in the fifth to eighth place classification match. Commenting on the achievement, Nik Safuan described the team’s overall performance as encouraging despite facing player injuries. He noted that seven players suffered major injuries, which required rest but the team continued their campaign.

“As for the plan for Series 2 of the competition in Sri Lanka, I will replace several players from the shortlist to give them exposure and playing time and to strengthen the team ahead of the 2025 SEA Games this December,” said Nik Safuan in a video clip shared to the media today. The second series of the 2025 Asia Rugby Sevens Series is scheduled to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from Oct 18-19.

Meanwhile, the national women’s squad finished in eighth place after a 10-17 loss to the UAE in the match for seventh and eighth place. Earlier in the fifth to eighth place classification match, the women’s squad lost 0-5 to Kazakhstan.