PETALING JAYA: National rugby coach K. Dineshvaran missed out on his first trophy in charge after Malaysia went down 39-18 to the Philippines in the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship Division One Cup final on Saturday (July 18).

Playing at the Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium in Thailand, Malaysia were beaten 39-18 by the Philippines, leaving Dineshvaran to wait a little longer for his first trophy since taking charge just two weeks ago.

The newly-appointed coach, however, insisted developing the next generation of players was a bigger priority than chasing silverware.

"Over the last two or three days, I've been battling with myself over one question: do I want to win this tournament, or do I want to keep developing this team by putting the younger players under pressure? "I could have gone with all the senior and experienced players to give ourselves the best chance of winning the cup, but that's not what I'm trying to achieve right now," said Dineshvaran.

He admitted preparations had been rushed after taking over the national team just two weeks ago while still involved with the Agong Cup, but believes those selected showed they belong at international level.

"When I took this job, I promised the players and MR that I would help develop this team to a higher level. If winning was my only priority, I would have fielded all the experienced players. I believe we could have changed the result, but that isn't the bigger picture for me.

"My goal is to develop these players into better rugby players. Today, 12 of them earned their first caps, and that experience is invaluable.

"It showed them the standard required at this level and what they need to improve on. They now know they have to become stronger, fitter and better if they want to compete consistently at this level. That's why I started the younger players.

"They fought right until the final whistle, and I'm incredibly proud of the effort they showed. As for our preparation, everything is still going according to plan," he added.

Dineshvaran will now turn his attention to building a stronger squad for the Asian Rugby Championships Division One, which Malaysia will host in December.

The national team are expected to begin their centralised training camp in August.