Johor Rugby Union Signs Four Overseas Players Ahead of 2025 Agong Cup

Johor Rugby Union (JRU) has signed four players from overseas ahead of the 2025 Agong Cup, with the three Fijians and one New Zealander presented by Johor ambassador and former All Black and Rugby World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams.

The Johor State Rugby Union (JRU) held the Import Player Contract Signing Ceremony with the President of Johor State Rugby Union, Dato’ Haji Mohd Noorazam bin Dato’ Haj Osman, Director of the Johor State Sports Council, Ts. Ekmaludin Ishak, Johor Sports Ambassador Sonny Bill Williams, as well as the JRU Exco and the management of the Johor Piala Agong team present.

Williams said at the event, “Every great success achieved is a small beginning, but how we shape it will determine the big impact in producing a team’s success.”

The Johor Rugby Men’s team is coached by former All Black Rodney So’oialo, who racked up 62 caps for New Zealand, and he was the former head coach of the Bunga Raya 15s (Malaysia) national squad.

They will play their first match of the cup on September 6, 2025, against the Pahang team at the Johor Rugby Stadium.

The four players signed by Johor Rugby are:

• Turuva Serupepeli (Fiji) – Appears as if he was previously a Fiji U20 rep but has played with Johor in recent seasons, including the 2025 Johor 7s.
• Revouvou Vatemo (Fiji) – A player by the same name played for Fiji 7s, but we can not confirm it’s him.
• Jacob Henry Denyer (New Zealand) – The fullback/wing played for the Tawa Rugby Club in the Wellington Premier competition, and he has represented the Wellington U19 team and the Hurricanes U20 squad.
• Tamanitoakula Colinio Yabia (Fiji)*

JRU President, Dato’ Hj Mohd Noorazam added, “Johor has won the championship twice in 2013 and 2017 and emerged runner-up in 2024. The preparations earlier this year will hopefully ensure that the Johor team is truly prepared to face the challenges of this season.”

*After not much research, and you can view more information elsewhere online, it appears as if he has previously been jailed for a charge in NZ and was deported to Fiji. This occurred when he was previously a mid Canterbury player in 2017. He was paroled after serving just over a year in prison.

Photo Credit Johor Rugby Union

Malaysia Rugby Exploring League Revival

Malaysia Rugby had announced in June 2025 that the number of overseas (or import players as they call them) had been increased from four to seven for the 2025 Agong Cup.

Malaysia Rugby (MR) secretary-general Fahmy Abd Jalil said this had been agreed upon during the union’s annual general meeting (AGM) following requests from several affiliate members to increase the import player quota for the tournament.

“This follows proposals from several affiliate members to increase the number of import players to make the tournament more competitive and provide teams with more player options.”

MR was also exploring the possibility of bringing back the Malaysian Rugby League (MRL) in 2026 which was last held in 2019. They admitted it would depend on financial viability.

The Malaysian national men’s team dropped out of the top tier of Asian rugby in 2025 after being beaten by Sri Lanka.

Asian Rugby News 2025

• Sonny Bill Williams Signs On As Johor’s Official Sports Ambassador.
• Hong Kong China Rugby and Japan Rugby Football Union Signed an MoU at 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
• Qatar Rugby Federation and Fiji Rugby Union Sign MoU.
• Asia Pacific Lions (APL) Launched During British & Irish Lions Tour.