TIGERS UNITED

The historic city of Melaka is gearing up for a major sporting spectacle as the CM Cup Rugby Tournament 2025 takes place at the iconic Stadium Kubu ( Hang Tuah Stadium ) from 29–31 August. The tournament will feature five categories, with eight teams competing in each division and five teams in the Women’s category. In total, nearly 800 players, coaches, and officials are expected to gather, making this one of the biggest rugby events in Malaysia this year. The tournament is powered by the Melaka State Government as the main sponsor, with the support of MSN Melaka, MBMB, Tourism Melaka, and Perbadanan Ketua Menteri. Co-sponsors include Archway, Koridor Utiliti Melaka, CMI Infra, Meditech Alliance, Jurukur Saharuddin El Asas, SAMB, Putra Hospital, Melaka Bekal Sdn Bhd, and Precise Subsurface. Melaka will be proudly represented across all categories, including Kolej Yayasan Saad , SMK Telok Mas , Melaka High School , Nosta , Ex-Hornet , X-Moruc , Polis Melaka , Melaka Team ...

For many years, Malaysia has welcomed foreign players into its domestic rugby scene, hoping they would raise the standard of local competitions. But despite their presence, our international performance has remained inconsistent. The national team once soared, winning Asia Division 2 and Division 1, and even reaching the Asia Top Division. Players like Duke Krishnan , Marc Le , Shahir Ashraf Rosli , Amin Jamaluddin , and a few outstanding Fijians made a real difference. But once they retired, and we relied mostly on local-based players, the Bunga Raya team struggled to maintain that level. What made Duke and Marc different? They played abroad. Duke featured in Japan’s Top League and Major League Rugby in the USA. Marc played in New Zealand and later Japan. Their growth overseas in structured systems, higher-paced competitions, and professional setups, turned them into game-changers for Malaysia. Playing abroad transforms players. They face new challenges, adapt to unfam...