Hello Eli,
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From my knowledge the therory of combating rapiers has been but to rest do to the short tang on a keris which would make it easy to break during a fight.
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This assumption usually seems to be made by people not well versed in the use of keris as a weapon. Sure, having to face someone skilled with a rapier is a scary thought. Having to face a skilled Pesilat is not a nice thought either...
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And many have also commented on the overall lack of efficency it would have compared to a rapier.
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I don't think that we should imagine a SEA warrior switching to European style fencing. While the old rapiers were quite sturdy, they are fairly specialized weapons as are keris; a little bit of extra reach might come in handy...
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Finally, if we look at where we see keris Panjang( often with royality or high ranking offcials) it just doesnt add up for me.
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Well, the rank of file were usually armed with swords of the pedang or klewang type.
This hypothesis is not my favorite, too - yet it needs to be discussed seriously and not just dismissed out of hand.
Another line of thought could be that the gentry wanted to display that they had blades resembling rapiers even if they were not meant to be used against Europeans, at least not in a duel-like situation. So they could be mainly status blades and still owing their development to early contacts with Europeans.
BTW, what are the oldest keris panjang known? Any pics?
Regards,
Kai