Pakistan takes on Guam in HSBC Asian Five Nations Division III tournament - Rugby
Asian Five Nation (A5N) Rugby, division III tournament 2011 is scheduled to take place in UPH Stadium, Lippo Karawaci, Jakarta from June 22 -25. Pakistan, Guam, Indonesia and China will strive against each other in the Division III tournament of A5N. Pakistan
will play against Guam in the opening match on June 22.
In parallel, China will combat Indonesia for supremacy. The third and final match will be on Saturday, June 25. Pakistan’s next match will be either against China or Indonesia.
A5N is a yearly International Rugby Union (IRU) competition which is sponsored by HSBC, for the top five Asian rugby teams.
Pakistan rugby squad was dispatched two days prior to the beginning of the tournament which will help in shedding the fatigue due to 14 hour-long flight. The team reached Jakarta by 3 pm local time. The early arrival on the venue was beneficial for players
as they gathered up time to have two full drill sessions prior to the match which should give them an extra boost before the major game.
Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) has reserved Sahir Aslam, Sair Riaz, Kashif Khwaja and Adnan Niazi from the older lot in the 24-members squad for the Asian Five Nations Tournament. Two UK-based players namely Immad Hussain and Junaid Imtiaz are also part of the
Pakistan rugby squad. Manager, Khurram Haroon along with two coaches, Rizwan Malik and Mike Pirrit will accompany the squad. Later, Secretary of PRU, Arif Saeed, will join the team after the Asian Rugby General Council meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Pakistan 24 -member rugby squad includes the following players:
Abu Baker, Adnan Saeed Niazi, Ahmed Mumtaz, Anwaar-Ul-Haq Zafar, Arsalan Zahid, Babar Muhammad, Kawar Ashraf, Khalid Mahmood, M Ali, M Manan Naseem, Omer Shafqaat, Salman Majeed Wain, Shakeel Ahmed, Umer Islam, Umer Usman, Shahbaz Munir, Imad Nasir, Mansoor
Rehan, Shuaib Aftab Javed, Sair Riaz, Saqib Murtza, Haroon Jahanzeb Durrani and Amrez Hamid.
Aslam, spoke with a major daily and stated, “There are more seniors than young players and I think experience is the key to win these matches I’m happy that Khwaja, who was injured last time, is back in the squad. Players from the UK and UAE will be a great
help.”
Pakistan’s Rugby coaches, Pirrit and Malik, are expecting an excellent performance from their squad that will promote them to Division II. In 2011, a strong display from the Pakistan Rugby squad should enhance the likelihood of the team leaping up to the
Division II of the HSBC Asian Five Nations tournament.
On the contrary, Guam is serving its third year in Division III of Asian five Nations. The Guam team is heading for a tough battle against the much stronger Pakistan Rugby Squad.
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