KUALA LUMPUR: Johor gave their Agong’s Cup rivals a scary early warning after hammering Pahang 122-17 in their opening pool B match yesterday (Sept 6).
Johor head coach Rodney So’oialo, however, downplayed the massive win in Mount Austin, stressing that his players still have room for improvement.
“It was a good performance but it was not anywhere near close to being perfect,” said the former All Blacks player when contacted today (Sept 8).
“I am happy with how the boys’ have gelled, they are very tight but we still have a number of aspects to improve on.
“We also picked up a number of (injury) niggles yesterday but nothing serious. They boys are recovering well and are undergoing rehab today.
“We are also focusing on improving our squad depth in case of any serious injuries.”
Johor have strengthened their squad with big-name signings Vatemo Ravouvou and Katione Taliga this season. The duo were part of the Fiji sevens squad which won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Johor will next host Armed Forces on Sept 13.
Fellow title contenders Selangor and Terengganu also opened their campaigns with straightforward wins yesterday.
Terengganu eased to a 49-11 win over Kuala Lumpur (pool B) in Kuala Nerus while Selangor downed Kedah 46-3 (pool A) in Mergong.
The only upset of the opening day was Perlis beating four-time champions Kelantan 41-30 in Kangar (pool A).
Perlis coach Hafiz Zainon was also pleased to get their campaign off to a positive start.
“Alhamdulillah, our combination of young and more experienced players worked and we we were able to execute our game plan well,” said Hafiz.
“The boys’ really played their hearts out and never gave up, this was key to winning our opening match.
“But we still have weaknesses in certain areas which need to be shored up before we play Selangor.”
Perlis will make the trip to Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya to face Selangor on Sept 13.
The other matches next week will see defending champions Royal Malaysian Police opening their campaign against Kedah (Pulapol, KL) and Terengganu lining up against Pahang (Gambang).
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
