Malaysia dethrone Thailand in SEA 7s men’s rugby final; women mauled by Thais
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Malaysia (in blue) going against Thailand in the men's final of the South-east Asian 7s at the National Stadium on Jan 31.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
- Malaysia defeated Thailand 10-5 in the South-east Asia Sevens men's final, avenging their SEA Games loss, with captain Azwan Zuwairi Mat Zizi highlighting the team's hunger for the title.
- Thailand's women's team reclaimed the South-east Asia Sevens title, defeating Malaysia 41-0, with captain Phonnapha Nartsopha emphasising teamwork and momentum from the Challenger Series.
- HSBC SVNS event attendance saw mixed reactions, with some fans citing increased ticket prices as a deterrent, while others praised the event’s value and atmosphere.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Upsetting the form book was not on the cards for Malaysia, as they headed into the South-east Asian 7s men’s final against defending champions Thailand at the National Stadium on Jan 31.
The Thais were expected to be in peak condition after clinching the SEA Games gold on home soil a month ago, while the Malaysians finished fourth.
But it was an upset that the underdogs delivered at The Kallang, where they came from behind to beat Thailand 10-5 and claim the title.
Hosts Singapore, who placed third and first in the men and women’s competition respectively in 2025, had both teams finishing third this time.
The South-east Asian 7s was staged alongside the HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, which will feature the world’s top sevens teams in action over the weekend.
Malaysia men’s captain Azwan Zuwairi Mat Zizi, 29, told The Sunday Times that half of his team comprised players from the SEA Games, while the other half were young players.
He said: “We are feeling happy because at the SEA Games, we lost to Singapore and Thailand and our performance went down.
“We trained for a month and made a comeback after the Games and deserved the gold medal here.
“The performance from the Thais were the same (as the SEA Games), because they also had half young players and half seniors in their team, but we were hungrier and wanted to be champions.”
Thai men’s captain Noppasit Kradkrayang was not too disappointed with the result, noting that half the team consisted of their “new generation” players.
“This competition is for us to do some team testing with the young players,” he said via a translator.
“We want to allow the new generation to have the opportunity to play and give them the confidence and be ready for our future competitions.”
In the earlier women’s final, Thailand battered Malaysia 41-0 to reclaim the South-east Asian 7s title that they last won in 2024.
Thai captain Phonnapha Nartsopha (left) in action against Malaysia’s Noor Azzuwa Azhar during the SEA 7s women’s final at the National Stadium on Jan 31.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Thai captain Phonnapha Nartsopha had missed out on the SEA Games as she was playing in the Challenger Series – now named the HSBC SVNS 3 and the third tier of the global rugby sevens competition.
“It’s a good result, everyone helped each other and gave their 100 per cent,” said the 24-year-old.
“After the SEA Games, we trained for the challenger series and after that, we had no time to rest and came back to training to keep our momentum going.”
Malaysian captain Kajolin Jenisin told ST that they had not expected to qualify for the final as the team comprised younger players and that “almost everyone is new”, as they were focused on giving them experience in a bigger tournament like the South-east Asian 7s.
The first day of the HSBC SVNS Singapore drew a mostly positive response from fans whom ST spoke to, though some noted that the atmosphere was more muted compared to the opening day in previous editions.
Those who showed up were ready to party, as they dressed in costumes such as pizzas, bananas and even characters from the TV cartoon, The Flintstones.
There was a slightly muted atmosphere at the National Stadium on the first day of the HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 on Jan 31.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
All Blacks fan and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student Leon Loh said: “I’ve been coming here since 2019 and every year is different, they try to keep it fun.
“The crowd is similar... Usually it kind of fills up towards the later part of the night, and it starts off quiet, but by the end of the day, everyone’s screaming.”
Fellow ACS(I) student Nathaniel Tran added: “I think this year, at this time, it’s been less crowded than it was last year, partly due to cost, as the price (for tickets) this year has gone up by a lot.
“Last year I paid $16 for youth tickets, but this year I paid $90 for the weekend, and I know a lot of friends who didn’t want to come because of the price hike.
“But I look forward to having a good time because the atmosphere is very good and it’s really fun to just watch the games.”
Canadian Ken Whitaker, 64, has been following the SVNS series for nearly two decades.
The retiree, who is here on holiday with his Singaporean wife Teresa, felt that the tickets were fairly priced and “pretty good” value for an all-day event.
He said: “I remember the first couple years when they were in Singapore, the crowd was bigger than this. I think there should be more people, but I don’t see a lot of advertising around town.
“More people should come because it’s quite fun, the athleticism is fast, teams are constantly changing and there’s music, what’s not to like?”
