Asia Rugby has declined Malaysia Rugby Union's appeal to postpone the Premier Division's playoff match against South Korea between Aug 9 and 25, this year.

According to the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) in a statement, Asia Rugby had set the date of the match as June 25 which falls during Ramadan.

MRU president Shahrul Zaman Yahya said it is a significant match for Malaysia and MRU wants to ensure the players are at their peak to compete against South Korea.

"We have raised this matter to Asia Rugby and appealed, however, we received an email from them yesterday, saying our appeal was denied. We have spoken to the youth and sports minister to inform him of Asia Rugby's decision and have also shared our plans for 2017/18 with him.

"MRU is looking at ensuring that the team receives our full support when they start their high performance training so that we retain our Division One position in 2017 and will be prepared for the play-off next year," said Shahrul Zaman.

Shahrul Zaman said the players were given time off to rest and recuperate after the Asian Rugby Championship Division One competition in May, while awaiting Asia Rugby's decision on the appeal.

Following Malaysia's historical win last month to claim the Asian Rugby Championship Division One title, the national team needs to garner a win over South Korea, to gain promotion to the Premier Division, which comprises the top three countries in Asia.

Malaysia will compete in a play-off with the team that finished third in the Premier Division for a chance to compete in the top flight.

Asian Rugby Championship top tier teams are vying for a position in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and the highest-ranked Asian Rugby Championship team, excluding host, Japan, will play a home and away play-off series against the Oceania Cup winner in 2018, to earn a spot in the tournament.

- Bernama