The national rugby team outplayed Labuan 28-13 yesterday to go two for two in their tune up matches for the June 17-21 Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Asian 5 Nations (A5N) Division IV.
Their first warm up match saw them defeat the Miri Rhinos 44-21 at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Miri on May 25, and they enjoyed another win at the LDA field in Labuan yesterday after wingers Sui Poh Chai and Muhammad Zuhdi Khairi Hj Ramlee put in outstanding performances by scoring two tries a piece.
Team captain Muhammad Redha Hj Adinin told The Brunei Times he was happy with the score but felt that the team could have done better. "It was a great game for the forwards and the back line, and overall we played well as a unit combining well with the backs," said Redha in a telephone interview.
"The forwards dominated the scrum. However, our lineouts were a bit inconsistent - which is what we're going to work on during our training camp. "I'm very proud of each and every player who played today as they showed a lot of improvement compared to how we were three weeks ago," added Redha.
Redha also shared that the other areas that they need to work on before the tournament are their rucks and defensive line. Vice-captain Ahmed Faez Anuar felt that the team did well and the only speed bump they encountered during yesterday's clash was the muddy pitch.
"Everything looked a lot sharper, quick passing, kicking, running lines and defense," said Faez. "Our moves executed well according to what we drilled during training. Defence was a lot sharper by the back line, but we still have some minor adjustments we need to fix.
"Our kicking was a bit off today. Lim Shen Quan only managed to get one penalty over the post. Today's game was a training session and we can't get too comfortable with it. "We have to keep our guard up as we've only got a little over a week before the Asian 5 Nations," added Faez.
Brunei are scheduled to take on Mongolia in their first match at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas on June 17 at 8pm. Mongolia will then face Cambodia on June 19 at 4pm before Brunei finish off the tournament against Cambodia on June 21 at 8pm.
Last year's results saw Brunei lose 38-0 and 28-0 to Cambodia in their Division V tournament played in Cambodia. The national squad are a mix of players from the Knights Rugby Football Club, Universiti Brunei Darussalam Sharks, Bandar Blacks and Belait Pythons.
