MALAYSIANSKINI | On the other side of the world, a Malaysian athlete is breaking barriers. Sungai Petani-born Dinesvaran Krishnan has just signed up for the US-based rugby union team the Chicago Hounds, making him the first Malaysian to sign with an American rugby team.

The team was founded in 2022 as a Major League Rugby expansion franchise. While the team isn’t exactly a household name, Dinesvaran, a lock forward who goes by the nickname Duke, is used to going where others have not.

Having got his start playing at the Malaysian state level, he went on to enjoy a lengthy career playing nearly nine years for Japanese rugby teams Yamaha Jubilo and Hino Red Dolphins since moving to Japan in 2013.

Soon to be 35, the sometime captain of the Malaysian national team is not one to back down from a fresh challenge and encourages young athletes to believe in themselves and take risks.

He tells us in his own words how he went from a town in Kedah to a globe-trotting sportsman:

It is a big move for me. Moving to America is like moving to a whole different planet. I was playing in Japan so I’ve been playing at a high level. But now I’m ready to be challenged again. There are new players, a new team and a new place. I am excited but at the same time, a little nervous.

I never chose rugby as a pathway for my career. I just enjoyed playing rugby. Everybody is born with a talent, and then you work hard and build your skills. I never thought that I wanted rugby to be my career, but I did have the desire to be a good player. Whenever I see a good player, I work hard with them and it helps me to improve. Once I improved, clubs paid me to join their team.

Life has its way. Now I am in the US just to play. In 2007, at 19 years old, I was looking for a job and ran into my friend who asked me to play for Penang in Sukma. I was just looking for a job to support myself and my family. They got me to play for the Bukit Mertajam Rhinos and I got a job in the office.

My friend told me rugby was a ticket for job and education opportunities. Corporate companies or universities would love to have you.

So I started to play and fell in love with the game. Mastering the skill gets you more chances. Then I went from Bukit Mertajam to Cobra rugby club. That got me the chance to play on the national team. Finally in Japan, playing rugby was my job. I’m just blessed and grateful for it.

Japan and the US are frequently at the Rugby World Cup while Malaysia has a tradition but is not a major power. Rugby union is well-known but not as lucrative as superficially 'similar' sports such as the rugby league or American football.

Rugby is a unique game, I played many sports when I was in school. I started in Form 1 but then moved to a school with no rugby. For me, it’s my lifestyle. It’s hard but you get knocked down and then get up again. Just keep moving forward.

I think Malaysia does have the potential to play in the World Cup, but it’s a long-term process. You can’t just pick the players, do six weeks of training and are good to go. In Asia, Japan is the strongest team. We have to face Japan first. If we win, then next comes the Pacific Island teams like Fiji and Samoa.

It is step-by-step. The problem is that we are so good at making targets and promises of making the World Cup in 15 years but we must recognise that it’s a slow building process. We do have the potential to get to the World Cup.

I grew up watching football a lot and I used to look at history books. I looked at athletes from England like David Beckham, and Wayne Rooney. I looked at other international players such as Ronaldo and Ronaldinho too. I used to wonder how they felt being a top athlete, being talked about, praised and respected. Beckham is my inspiration, from sports to business to his personal life.

My family is also my inspiration. I caused a lot of problems for them when I was young. There were a lot of times when my mother and dad were really embarrassed by me back then. But the one thing they never did was give up on me. My mother used to send me to courses. At that time we lived from paycheck to paycheck. We could not do anything extra.

But my mother somehow collected RM300 and sent me on this motivational course. I didn’t even appreciate it. I thought they were sending me there to try and change me but I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.

But I did go, they talked about family and the sacrifices they made. It really helped me. My parents, my sisters, and my grandmother all gave up something for me. They had less to eat so I could attend. My family has always been my backbone.

When I got the offer to play in the US, I drove to Sungai Petani and explained to my mother about moving to the US, and getting her blessings. She has never stopped me from doing anything, but her blessings are important to me.

My other passion beyond rugby... I'm trying different things. I really enjoy working out, just going outdoors and working out on sunny days. So if I don't play rugby, I will find ways to just work out.

The best moment of my career was when I played rugby in Japan after I signed my first contract. I was so amazed to be getting a salary to play rugby. I was telling myself, man, I need to make these apples because, at that time, my family was still a middle-income family.

Back then I had one older sister who was married and the second one was about to follow suit. So the family income had gone down. My dad was still working at 58. We were trying to find another financial source. So when I was in Japan, I told myself I needed to make this work because I needed to support my family.

My best moment was when I told my dad to retire as a truck driver and that I would take over all the responsibilities. That was in my third year in Japan.

The saddest moment in my rugby career was when I had to leave Yamaha Jubilo to go to Hino Red Dolphins as it was like leaving a family. The tears just kept falling for a week. Although I was getting better pay, leaving Yamaha was heartbreaking.

Also a few years ago I broke my arm into five and that was something else to fight back from.

In 2018, I helped a child in Bedong get treatment for kidney problems. My friend brought the child’s predicament to my attention because every year when I come back for the off season I try to give back to the community.

Sharing and being kind to others makes me happy. I've been doing a few fundraisers even during the pandemic and we did some last year for Deepavali with my sister.

Malaysia is at a political crossroads, we have a new government and prime minister. It's a new energy so I have a lot of hope that we can recover.

I have a message for Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh: Malaysian rugby was not in the right place when you took charge, but there is potential that it can be big.

Please don't give up on rugby because I believe that we can do so much for so many. For example, you can take a boy from Sungai Petani to Chicago. Please get to know rugby, and I'm sure you will love it. It's a unique sport that can build unique characters.

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