(From left) Naharudeen, Shahrizin and Nik Mohd Sidek at the launch of Super Schools Rugby tournament which will start next month. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
The ninth edition of Super Schools Rugby (SSR) scheduled for next month has drawn seven teams to participate in its new academy division.
The category was introduced for SSR 2024 to encourage newcomers to the sport, according to the event organiser.
Enervive Sports chief executive officer Shahrizin Syaharudin said games in the SSR Academy Division would be held alongside the main category for the nationwide youth rugby tournament for the under-17s.“With the usual SSR tournament, the teams were selected based on certain criteria such as long-standing history of being active in rugby and strong support system from parents and alumni.
“The Academy Division, on the other hand, is made up of sports schools and rugby academies that are joining the tournament for the first time and would hopefully soon make a name for themselves in the local rugby scene,” he said.
The seven teams are from Johor, Pahang, Kedah, Terengganu, Selangor and Melaka.
SSR 2024 will also see the largest number of teams involved since the inception of the tournament 11 years ago.
Twenty teams have registered to take part and they are from Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Since the first edition in 2013, the tournament had grown from just six teams to more than triple the number, Shahrizin said.
He added that SSR was the only national-level 15-a-side rugby tournament organised outside the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) calendar.
At the launch in Kuala Lumpur, draws were held to pick the teams in each group, with the first match for both categories taking place on June 8.
Sharizin said the SSR 2024 champion would take home RM15,000, which is a RM5,000 increase from last year.
For the SSR Academy Division category, RM5,000 will go to the first-place winner.
Shahrizin said prize money aside, participants of past tournaments had enjoyed better recognition and opportunities in sponsorships.
According to two-time SSR champion Victoria Institution’s coach Nik Mohd Sidek Nik Jaafar, the tournament had greatly impacted the rugby ecosystem in their school.
“Many more students are interested in playing the sport, and our past success has gotten us funding from alumni,” he said.
SSR advisor Naharudeen Othman said the objective of the tournament was not to just find the best rugby team.
“We want SSR to become a benchmark for healthy sportsmanship among youths.
“I believe the participating teams are talented enough to become future national rugby players,” he said.
