SINGAPORE — The Singapore national rugby men’s 15s team have been promoted to Division 1 of the Asian Rugby Championships, following the withdrawal of Kazakhstan from the tournament.

The Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) told TODAY it has accepted the invitation from regional governing body Asia Rugby for the Republic’s men’s team to play in the Division 1 competition in Kuala Lumpur next month, alongside the Philippines, Sri Lanka and hosts Malaysia.

The competition will be played in a round-robin format, with Singapore’s first match against the Filipinos scheduled for May 8.

The winning team will get a shot at promotion to the top-tier Tri-Nations division via a play-off against the third-placed team of the Tri-Nations competition, which will feature powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

The news was welcomed by the national 15s side, who had a disappointing season last year after they were relegated to Division 2 following two losses, to the Philippines (20-17) and Kazakhstan (32-12) in the Asian Rugby Championships.

National captain Gaspar Tan said the team is determined to make a strong return to the tournament. “After dropping out of it last year, we were disappointed, and we intensified our training with the aim of getting back again,” said the 27-year-old. “We have automatic promotion now, and we must aim to stay in Division 1 and perform better than we did last year. The target is to win at least two matches to remain there.”

With Kazakhstan also pulling out of the women’s Division 1, the SRU is also working with Asia Rugby for the national women’s 15s team to gain promotion from Division 2.

If that is confirmed, the SRU will explore the possibility of hosting one of the fixtures at the Sports Hub’s 55,000-seater National Stadium on May 14, with the match to act as the curtain raiser ahead of the Super Rugby clash between the Sunwolves and Stormers.

Added SRU president Low Teo Ping: “The promotions will put us back among some of the best teams in Asia, and gives us a chance to spar with them once more. The intense competition in Division 1 will give us a chance to build ourselves up.

“This will go a long way in creating interest in rugby in Singapore, especially with the recent success of the Singapore Sevens.

“Everything bodes well for the development of the local rugby scene,” he said.

ADELENE WONG, ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANPREET SINGH