PETALING JAYA, May 14 — National coach Lee Nyuk Fah was all smiles after Malaysia defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 20-19 at the Asian Rugby Championship, yesterday.

The result at the PJ Stadium leaves Malaysia within a win of securing the Division 2 title. Lee’s men play Thailand in their final game on Saturday. A win will see Malaysia move into Division 1 next year, which would improve its world ranking.

Thailand lost 29-24 to Taiwan in an earlier match.

“If we beat Thailand, we’ll be champions,” said Lee.

“As I’ve said before, UAE is a tough side but we played with a game plan and won. 

“The supporters also played a key role and were in full force, which made the players more eager to win,” added Lee, who urged Malaysians to come out in numbers to support the team on Saturday.

National forward K. Dinesvaran said he was satisfied with the team’s work ethic. 

“It was a tough game. UAE players were bigger, but we worked as a team and played smart. We have to make sure we win the next game and meet our target of defending our division title,” said Dinesvaran, who plies his trade with Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo.

Malaysia, who beat Taiwan 46-13 in its opening game on Sunday, leads Division 2 on 11 points, followed by UAE (seven), Taiwan (six) and Thailand (one).