Two Malaysian Players Set To Miss Pre-Season Training With Rugby-Bundesliga Club

By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Two of the three Malaysia’s 15s rugby players who have been offered the chance to play for German club TV 1834 Pforzheim may have to forget about joining the team before the Rugby-Bundelisga season starts on Sept 4. Malaysia Rugby (MR) honorary secretary Amrul Hazarin Hamidon said this was because the two players would have to wait until the 14th day from the date of the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine jabs before they would be allowed to leave for Germany. The three players - Mohamad Amin Jamaluddin, Noor Alif Ikhmal Noor Hisham and Samuel Rentap Meran - have been offered the chance to feature for the German club for the 2021/2022 season and, of the trio, only Samuel has been fully vaccinated. Amrul Hazarin said Mohamad Amin and Noor Alif Ikhmal are set to get the second dose of the COVID-19 jab on Aug 19. As such, they can only leave the country as early as Sept 3. “If there is something we (MR) can do to ensure they can leave earlier, such as expediting the date for their second dose, we will try to do so,” he said when contacted by Bernama on Wednesday. He added that MR were also waiting for the letter from the Immigration Department permitting them to leave the country. Amrul Hazarin said MR received the offer letter from the German club on July 30 and that the club had also named the three Malaysian players for their pre-season training as well as a series of friendlies before the start of the Rugby-Bundesliga. “Actually ‘bouncer’ (as Mohamad Amin is nicknamed) and Alif have played in Germany before but had to return home when the league ended. This is a good chance for them to continue playing. With the current (COVID-19) situation, we do not know when any tournaments can be held in Malaysia,” he said. Amrul Hazarin said that according to the offer letter, all three players were supposed to report for duty on Aug 20. -- BERNAMA