TIGERS UNITED

Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail (SSTMI) of Johor sucessfully retained their MCKK Premier 7s title after beating Hong Kong Sports School (HKSS) in the final. It is SSTMI's fourth victory at the tournament which was held at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar , Perak. They had won it in 2011, 2012 and 2016. SSTMI made six tries and four conversions in the final, while HKSS could only produce two tries. Syed Shazril Syed Mahadi 's boys took first half lead with 12-10. They scored another four tries in the second half to ensure the NJ Ryan Trophy remain in Bandar Penawar. SSTMI reached the final after beating English College (EG) 38-7 in quarterfinal, before beating home team MCKK 29-0 in the semifinal. HKSS thrashed Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan King Edward VII (KEVII), 26-5 in quarterfinal, and Sekolah Menengah Seri Mersing (SMSM) 28-5 the last four. SMSM clinched the third place after defeating MCKK 22-5 in the third/fourth placing match. Photos by Waris Adam, Malaysia Rug

Defending champion Elina Svitolina marked her top 10 debut with a 6-2, 6-3 win over qualifier Jang Jeong Su of South Korea in the first round of the ALYA Malaysian Open at TPC Kuala Lumpur today. Elina, who won in Taipei early this month and in Dubai on Sunday, broke in the sixth game to close the first set. The Ukrainian took a dominating 3-0 lead in the second set by breaking in the second game but the World No 148 Jeong Su bounced back and won the next three games. However, Elina managed to get a decisive break in the eighth game to seal victory to set up a second round clash against Japan's Nao Hibino. Elina's run in the Malaysian Open, however, will depend on whether her left Achilles injury will be able hold up for the upcoming matches. In other first round matches, Poland's Madga Linette edged wild card entry Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 while qualifier Sabina Sharipova of Uzbekistan upset former champion Hsieh Su Wei of Taiwan 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. www

LIGA PREMIER: PKNP 1 - ATM 0 Muhammad Shahrel Fikri who scored a brace for PKNP FC beating Terengganu 2-1 last Tuesday, had once again proved of his capabilities last night. He scored the only goal in the final minute against ATM to earn three valuable points for the home team. Although, both sides were performed well and work hard in efforts to advance in the first half, they however had failed to breaks the deadlock.  Second half resumed, both sides had doubled their effort to find the net.  However, both teams defended solidly and were not easily to break into. The game was suspended for about thirty minutes after the 59th minute due to lighting system failure.  Two players from both sides, Mohd Fazli Zulkifli of PKNP and Navin Kumar Mugayah of ATM were red carded in the 89th minute. PKNP's head coach, Abu Bakar Fadzim praised his team for their good performance last night and looking forward to qualify into the 2017 Piala Malaysia .

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: UITM LIONS 28 - SSTMI TSUNAMI 19 UiTM Lions remain above of SSTMI Tsunami after winning their Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division match 28-19 in Serdang. SSTMI gave a good fight but the Lions proved to be more superior in the match. Fresh from beating Panthers Blowpipes last weekend, UiTM Lions came into the match with a good motivation. They grabbed an 11-0 advantage inside the forty minutes. Two penalties by Mohamad Sofian Mohd Kamil and a try by Peceli Davobalavu handed Lions a strong lead at the break. SSTMI started to get back into the game in the second half. A try by Amirul Mikminin Amizan and conversion by Muhammad A'aziem Badaruddin took SSTMI closer to the leader. However UiTM Lions were quick to make amends to hold the advantage. SSTMI made two more tries but UiTM Lions did not give up. A try by Muhammad Danial Noor Hamidi in the 66th minute and conversion by Mohamad Sofian ensure the third win for the Lions this season. www.fascap.com.

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: KERIS CONLAY 21 - ASAS RC 5 Keris Conlay maintained their status as the team to watch this season as they won the top-of-the-table clash against ASAS RC in Serdang. Both teams were unbeaten as they walked into the UPM Rugby Field on Sunday, but Keris Conlay came out as the winner with a 21-5 victory and keep their perfect record. Keris Conlay opened the scoring just after five minutes with a penalty by Mohd Fairuz Abd Rahman . ASAS RC took over the lead with a try by Luqman Hakim in the 17th minute. Mohd Fairuz scored another penalty four minutes later to put Keris Conlay in front again. A try by Iliesa Lesumaiti Tiqe and coversion by Mohd Fairuz pushed Keris Conlay further. Keris Conlay returned for the second half with a steady 14-5 advantage. Ahmad Tirmidzi Amiruddin 's try five minutes from the end gave no chance to ASAS RC for a late come-back. Mohd Fairuz scored his 11th point of the day from the spot to ensure Keris Conlay maintain their unbeaten r

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: ISKANDAR RAIDERS 12 - POLITEKNIK MALAYSIA 8 Iskandar Raiders edged Politeknik Malaysia to stay close with MRL Premier Group A leader. The southern team claimed a deserving 12-8 win over the never-say-die Politeknik's players. Iskandar Raiders got into the game at Bellamy Rugby Field to bounce back after last week loss to Mersing Eagles. Politeknik Malaysia looked set to continue their good form after winning over Serdang Angels. However, it was Iskandar Raiders who got the advantage after the first forty minutes. The Raiders kept the momentum going as they were 13-3 up in the 60th minute after another try by Mohd Izwan Abu Bakar . Politeknik Malaysia threw out their best and got a late try by Mohamd Alif Muhaimin Mohd Borhan . However it was too late as Iskandar Raiders held on well to record their third win of the season. 

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: KSDBKL 64 - ASAS RC 8 After three unlucky starts, KSDBKL finally got their first win in Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division this season after thrashing Panthers Blowpipes 64-8. The city hall team played their best to collect as many points as possible from the match against the Panthers at Ballamy on Saturday. KSDBKL took control from the kick-off and made five tries through Lekima Nasedra , Chaerul Arifin , Elia Tora , and Eroni Vucago . They went into the break with a comfortable 29-3 lead. It was the same play after the match resumed. KSDBKL was in complete control of the match. Eroni, Elia, Aisea Bici and Sharain Azli Jalil were all in the score sheet as as they carried Yusli Ramli 's team to taste their first win of the season. www.tigerssupersports.com

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: SERDANG ANGELS 21 - COBRA 20 Serdang Angels got away with a narrow win over Cobra after a playing good second half in Malaysia Premier League Premier Division match on Saturday. The Angels edged Cobra 21-20 at the UPM Rugby field after trailing the visitors 7-13 at halftime. Cobra started-off well. They took the lead after six minutes by Ryoma Kudo . Four minutes later Sae Faalupega got a try for Cobra before Angels reduced the deficit in the 17th minute through Mohd Ikwan Akmal Zulkipli . Muhammad Faizal Md Tahir scored the conversion to keep Angels just a point behind the visitors. Though, Mohd Syahir Asraf Rosli made another try in the 27th minute, and the score remained until the break. Serdang Angels were more organized in the second half. They pressured Cobra until they got a penalty try in the 56th minute. Another try and coversion by Muhammad Faizal two minutes later put them ahead with 21-13. Cobra made a late comeback into the

LIGA SUPER: KELANTAN 0 – MELAKA UNITED 2 Melaka United maintained their winning momentum by defeating Kelantan 2-0 in their postponed Liga Super fixture at Sultan Mohd IV Stadium, Kota Bahru. Despite, started well in the first half. The Red Warrior had failed to take the advantage as host and could not get the breakthrough.      The visitor instead had found the net through Montenegrin striker, Ilija Spasojevic .  He strucked a brace to sink Red Warrior .  The Melaka United skipper had his first goal in the 59th minute of the match and added time.  On their next fixture, Melaka United will be playing against Pahang at Hang Jebat Stadium. This will be another tough match for them. However, away win over Kelantan will definitely put them in good pace to maintain their winning run. After losing to Melaka United at home, Kelantan had suffered for second home defeat for 2017 Liga Super campaign. www.tigerssupersports.com

Carla Suarez Navarro is hoping to return strongly and make an immediate impact on her debut appearance in the ALYA WTA Malaysian Open at TPC Kuala Lumpur from February 27th to March 5th. The world no 14 has been recovering from a shoulder injury. She has only made one appearance so far this season at the Australian Open . The 28-year- old player is almost unbeatable on her day and if she can play to form in Kuala Lumpur, she will definitely be one of the contenders for the women's singles title. Fans are hoping the two-time tour winner to use the ALYA WTA Malaysian Open as a platform to regain her old form. Suarez Navarro has made 10 career finals since turning professional in 2003 but finished runner-up in eight of them. She achieved her career high ranking of World No 6 in February last year after winning the Qatar Open . www.DonadoniSports.com

American Brett Munson ended a three-year title drought after closing with a bogey-free five-under-par 67 to seal his second Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PGM Panasonic Malaysia Championship on Saturday. The 30-year-old Munson overturned a three-shot deficit when he fired five birdies to claim a two-shot victory with a winning total of 18-under-par 270 at the Kelab Rahman Putra Malaysia , the same venue where he won his breakthrough ADT title in 2014.   Thailand's Jakraphan Premsirigorn , a one-time ADT winner in 2013, signed for a 68 to take second place while compatriot Panuwat Muenlek and overnight leader Liu Yan-wei of China shared third place on 273 following respective rounds of 71 and 73. South African Mathiam Keyser (66), Thailand's Suradit Yongcharoenchai (69) and Finland's Janne Kaske (72) shared fifth place on 274 with Sukree Othman (66), who emerged as the highest ranked Malaysian at the RM250,000 (approximately US$55,000) ADT event.   With

MALAYSIA RUGBY LEAGUE: UITM LIONS 67 - PANTHERS BLOWPIPES 17 UITM Lions maintained their good run in Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division with an easy victory over Panthers Blowpipes on Sunday. The Lions did not face much problems to tame the Panthers in their third match of the season. Without any af their Fijian imports in the starting line-ups, UiTM controlled the match from the kick-off. Six tries by Ainol Fizy Ruslan , Muhammad Zulfikry Zuledwar , Muhammad Hanaffi Zaini , Muhamad Hariz Izzat Ahmad Hapez and Mohamad Sofian Mohd Kamil took them to a comfortable 36-7 lead at the break. It was almost the same story in the second half. Mohd Syahimy Abd Aziz and Muhammad Danial Noor Hamidi joined Muhammad Hanaffi to contribute another four tries, and two conversions for UiTM Lions. Panthers Blowpipes could only get two tries, two conversions and a penalty from the whole 80 minutes. Muhammad Hanaffi was the star of the match after delivering 19 points for the Lions.  www.tigerss

MRL PREMIER: KERIS CONLAY 42 - KSDBKL 30 Keris Conlay fought until the end to maintain their unbeaten record in Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division. They beat the hard fighting KSDBKL 42-30 at UPM Rugby Field on Sunday. KSDBKL came into the match looking for their first win after being unlucky in the previous two league matches. A try by Eroni Vucago just after one minute of play gave them a good start. However, Keris Conlay replied with two tries by Ahmad Syazwan Shuid and Iliesa Lesumaititi Tiqe , with two conversions by Mohd Fairuz Ab Rahman to take the first half advantage. Trailing Keris Conlay with 8-14 score, KSDBKL came on stronger in the early second half. Eroni and Iliesa Bari Momo made three important tries, Iliesa Bari also scored two conversions and Aisea Bici scored a penalty to put KSDBKL back into the lead with 30-28. Though, Keris Conlay did not give-up and mounted pressure on KSDBKL. With less than five minutes remaining, Jone Marawa Nasalo broke into KSDB

MRL DIVISION 1: KL TIGERS 24 - ATM BLACKHAWKS 23 KL Tigers booked a place in the Malaysia Rugby League quarterfinal after recording a narrow 24-23 victory over ATM Blackhawks at VI Field on Saturday. The match was a hot tempered clash as both teams were aiming for a win to stay in the competition. ATM Blackhawks took early lead with a try and a drop goal by Abdul Hafiz Mohamad Sodari . Rostam Tugiman increased their lead to 13-0 within the first 20 minutes. KL Tigers were back into the game in the 29th minute with a try by Sebastian Barros , and they reduced the gap with a try by Laurence Tandy right before the break. The Tigers took over the lead from a try in the 60th minute. But Blackhawks did not let it slip easily. The match turned ugly in the 72nd minutes as both team lost a player each due to a brawl.  As Blackhawks looked ready to get away with a victory, KL Tigers got a try in the 80th minute and converted it. It was a dramatic finish by the Tigers. They were behind the B

South Korea won all their matches at Lao Rugby Festival to retain the Asia Women's Rugby Sevens title. The Korean beat second place India 29-0 in their final match keep their 100 percent records at the tournament. India finished second with just two points less than the winner. Malaysia took the third place after winning four out of six matches in Vientiane. The Malaysian girls are preparing for the upcoming SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, produced a creditable performance as they became the best South East Asia team at the tournament. Minhuo Lee (South Korea), Fidelia Telajan (Malaysia) and Hupi Majhi (India) are the top scorers at the tournament. South Korea victory also earned them direct qualification to the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2017. www.tigerssupersports.com

Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai was denied a grandstand finish by the brilliance of home favourite Brett Rumford , who beat him 2 and 1 in the gripping final of the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 on Sunday. The 17-year-old teenager already exceeded all expectations when he not only secured the last play-off spot for the match play rounds on Saturday but also stormed convincingly into the final only to be beaten by the dominant Australian, who was the 54-hole stroke play leader.   As the top seed, Rumford received a bye in the first round and defeated Hideto Tanihara , Wade Ormsby and Adam Bland on his way to the final at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club . Phachara, on the other hand, had to produce a gallant effort to secure the 24th and final spot to the match play rounds. He finally prevailed after his third attempt at the play-off holes on Saturday and continued to shine by overcoming Australians Sam Brazel , Lucas Herbert , Matthew Millar and Jason Scrivener before facing off wi

MRL PREMIER: SSTMI TSUNAMI 26 - ASAS RC 32 ASAS Rugby Club staged an amazing comeback to win their Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division match against SSTMI Tsunami . SSTMI was leading 7-3 at half time, before ASAS turned over the score into a 32-26 win at the final whistle. ASAS did not have a good game in the first half as they only scored three points from Christopher Joshua 's penalty. Mohd Shahzan Yanni got a try for SSTMI and Muhammad A'aziem Badaruddin scored the conversion to give them the slim lead before the break. ASAS showed a great character in the second half. They threw out everything to take the game from the tough Tsunami. Epeli Vakalala , Noah Bola , Christopher Joshua and Livai Ikanikoda made it into the score sheet in the last forty minutes to give their team the deserving victory. The win can be a good turning point for ASAS this season.  https://www.facebook.com/thematch.my

MRL PREMIER: MERSING EAGLES 35 - ISKANDAR RAIDERS 14 Mersing Eagles stretched their unbeaten run in Malaysia Rugby League (MRL) Premier Division to three matches. Their latest victim is Iskandar Raiders . The Eagles won the match 35-14 and are looking good for the next stage. Mersing Eagles took early lead just after five minutes through Jone Vucukula Waqailiva 's try. They pulled away with another three tries from Apolosi Tuiloma , Wan Mohammad Ashraf Norudin . Wan Mohammad Ashraf also scored all four coversions for the Eagles to take a comfortable first half lead 28-7. Iskandar Raiders could not find a way to stop their fast and furious opponent. They got just two tries throughout the eighty minutes at Bellamy Rugby Field from Mohd Razmi Rozan and Nissan Aitui . While Mersing Eagles scored another seven points after the break. A try by Jone and conversion by Wan Mohammad Ashraf put them into the MRL's driving seat. http://tigersunited.blogspot.my

LIGA SUPER: PERAK 2 - JOHOR DT 1 Perak had showed their real capability by beating Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) at Ipoh Stadium on Saturday. The home team goal came as early as the 7th minute via import player, Yashir Pinto .  The Palestinian striker had put the home team in front beating JDT's goalkeeper, Farizal Marlias after receiving a cross from Fation Toski . However, it was not long before JDT had equalized through Ahmad Hazwan Bakri . Hazwan Bakri turned out brilliantly grabbing the chance when Perak's defence had lacked focus following from Amirulhadi Zainal 's deflected shot. Second half resumed seeing both sides had upped their pace in efforts to halt the deadlock. Vladislav Mirchev of Perak had stunned the visitor with his scoring in the 74th minute of match and sealed the home team's victory. The win had destroyed JDT's unbeaten record and saw Perak move up to third spot of the standings. www.donadonisports.com

MRL PREMIER: POLITEKNIK MALAYSIA 19 - SERDANG ANGELS 17 It was another upset of the week in Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division as Politeknik Malaysia came from behind to beat 2016 Super League champ at their home backyard. Politeknik Malaysia staged an incredible comeback to beat Serdang Angels 19-17 at UPM Rugby Field on Saturday. The Angels had a better first half with two tries by Mohamad Ikhwan Akmal and Mohamad Syarif Saiful Aazwan , while Politeknik could only score from two penalties which saw them trailing the Angels 6-12 at the break. It was a different kind of play in the second half. Politeknik Malaysia were more organized and confident to put the pressure on Angels. Mohd Amir Aswad Mat Saad scored another two penalties and a conversion, following a try by Ilaisa Uluinatewa to take Politeknik Malaysia back into contention in the MRL Premier Division. https://www.facebook.com/thematch.my

MRL PREMIER: NS WANDERERS 10 - COBRA 17 Despite losing their first two matches, Cobra is improving from match to match. They were quite unlucky last week, but this week is a different story. The team displayed a remarkable performance to beat NS Wanderers 17-10 in the Malaysia Rugby League Premier Division . Cobra showed determination from the start and scored the first minute try by Muhammad Hasif Sharifuddin . Leroy Danny Afrika doubled the score with another try in the 17th minute. NS Wanderers could only score a penalty in the first forty minutes. The second half was a more even affair. NS Wanderers equalised in the 72nd minute with a try by Samuela Tamanisau and conversion by Muhamad Amirul Aqil Kamsol . However, Cobra fought on and got a try by Mohd Syahir Asraf Rosli in the final 3 minutes of the game. Ryoma Kudo calmly scored the conversion for Cobra to claim their first win this season.    www.tigerssupersports.com

With an eye on breaking into the top 10 for the first time, Elina Svitolina returns to Kuala Lumpur with the intention of retaining her women's singles title in the ALYA WTA Malaysian Open at TPC Kuala Lumpur from February 27th to March 5th. An outstanding performance in the tournament will put the World No 13 Ukrainian on the right path of achieving her dream of being a top 10 player. Currently, the 22-year-old is just 700 points behind World No 10 Johanna Konta of Great Britain. The ALYA WTA Malaysian Open is also crucial for Svitolina as she needs to defend the 280 points she earned from her win last year. Svitolina will also use the tournament to gain confidence and momentum before she plays in Indian Wells and the Miami Open . The WTA Malaysian Open 2017 qualifying rounds begin on Feb 25th and Feb 26th and the main tournament commences on Feb 27 culminating with the singles and doubles final on March 5th. The eighth edition of the event, sanctioned by the Women

PIALA FA: SELANGOR 0(3) - NEGERI SEMBILAN 0(4) Negeri Sembilan stunned Liga Super team, Selangor with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win in the  Malaysia FA Cup second round match at Selayang Stadium on Tuesday. Both team were tied goalless after extra-time which saw the winner to be decided through the penalty shoot-outs. Selangor had many opportunities during the normal time of play, but their forwards failed to find the net. The never-say-die Negeri Sembilan showed a great fighting spirit against their bigger opponent.  Khairul Azhan Khalid gave Selangor the advantage after he saved Negeri Sembilan first penalty. However, Abdul Halim Zainal dan Ugo Ukah failed to beat Saiful Amar Sudar from the spot, which handed Selangor the exit of the FA Cup competition this season. It is a memorable win for Mohd Asri Ninggal boys as Negeri Sembilan marched into the third round. tigersunited.blogspot.my