The men's rugby team won their last two matches of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, with victories over Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on 3 Oct. Photo: SpexSG/ Bryan Foo
Singapore's rugby teams won their final matches of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on 3 Oct. The men's team beat Uzbekistan 28-12 to finish in 11th place, while the women were seventh after defeating Malaysia 10-5 at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field.
The men had also recorded a 22-7 win over Kazakhstan in their penultimate match on the same day. Captain Marah Ishraf noted that while these victories were sweet, there was room for improvement as the 32-year-old reflected on their campaign.
"We felt we could do better in certain games. However, I feel with the growth mindset, the boys will take the good (lessons) from this tournament," he added.
The 2025 SEA Games medallists had held the lead twice during their match against Sri Lanka on the first day of the competition. Sri Lanka eventually prevailed 33-17.
"What went well was that when we had possession in hand, we had intent and we were going forward therefore we really challenged teams when we had the ball in the attack," said Marah.
"Something that we really can improve on is the belief in ourselves and staying in the fight a bit longer in the game. A great example would be against Sri Lanka, when we were leading and we let in a lot of points in the last couple of minutes. Those are the things we can improve on."
Marah has been a mainstay in the national set-up since joining the team in 2013.
Describing his Asiad participation as a dream come true, he added: "It’s the pinnacle of Asia rugby. To be able to represent Singapore really means a lot to me and I will definitely cherish the journey, as well as the memories here."
The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.