KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian rugby community went into a sombre mood following the demise of former national rugby coach Ishak Abidin yesterday.
Ishak, who was reported to have a history of heart issues and high blood pressure, collapsed and died while jogging at a park in Bandar Sungai Buaya, Hulu Selangor. He was 75.
He was laid to rest at a cemetery in Sungai Buaya after prayers yesterday.
Former Malaysia Rugby Union (MRU) honorary secretary Suhaimi Zainuddin remembers Ishak as a strict disciplinarian who had a lifelong passion for rugby.
"Rugby was his life, besides coaching the national team he had also coached state teams and many schools. In fact, he was still coaching SMS Kuala Selangor until he passed away," said Suhaimi when contacted today.
"If I am not mistaken his father was a teacher and he himself went on to become a police officer and later on a BPR (now Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission) officer.
"He brought that discipline with him into the game. He was very particular and had great attention to detail.
"I remember vividly that he hated his players smoking and warned them to never smoke in front of him.
"When he was national coach, he made it clear that he would drop players who smoked and stayed true to his word.
"He was also a referee and at one point was among the top-two best referees in Asia. He also contributed significantly as a MRU council member."
Among the notable state, club and school teams Ishak had coached included Selangor, Sarawak, Royal Malaysian Police, UPM Angels, Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Victoria Institution, SMS Kuala Selangor, SMK La Salle and SMK Sri Petaling.
He coached the national sevens and 15s squad on a number of occasions from the 1980s until 2011. His last time at the reins was during the 2011 Asian Five Nations competition in South Korea.