The Malaysia national rugby team's 35-10 defeat to South Korea in the 2018 Asia Rugby Championship opening match on Sunday was compounded by injuries to several players.

At least five Hibiscus players were injured, including Nathanael Tan with a broken jaw, Amirul Aqqil Kamsol with a concussion and Rosmanizam Roslan with a broken ankle.

It was a big blow for them in their quest to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, especially with their second Asia Rugby Championship match against world No.22 Hong Kong — 23 places above Malaysia — taking place in less than a week's time.

"There are several injured players and it is worrying for us, but we have enlisted 30 players and hope to have the best starting line-up for the upcoming match," said head coach Lee Nyuk Fah.

Despite the huge gap in quality between Malaysia and Hong Kong, Lee assured that his team would do their best just like they did against South Korea.

"Malaysia need to play as a unit and try to give our best on the pitch.

"We need to avoid getting caught in our opponents' rhythm," he added.