Club battlers to celebrities: The NZ U85kg team touch down in Sri Lanka

The New Zealand Under 85kg team is back in Sri Lanka, aiming to repeat the success of their groundbreaking tour of 2025. That visit saw the team play in front of capacity crowds in Kandy and Colombo against the full Sri Lankan national side, resulting in two victories despite the obvious size disparity.

“It’s a part of the world where we feel valued,” said captain Jarred Percival.

“Getting amongst it, having photos and signing autographs…we love it here.”

There is a strong All Black connection to the U85kg side, with veteran prop John Afoa travelling as an assistant coach, while former captain Kieran Read will join the tour this weekend.

The interest in the team is high in a country normally associated with cricket, however it may come as a surprise to many that rugby is deeply ingrained in Sri Lankan sporting culture. All major secondary schools have rugby teams and a highly competitive national schools competition. However, the ‘Tuskers’ have found it historically difficult to develop due to the limited opportunities to play Test matches.

They are currently ranked 47th in the world, however it is hoped that more fixtures like this will help them improve.

“We know they’re going to be hungry after last year’s performance,” said vice-captain Josh Gellert.

“I don’t think the scores really reflected how tough those games were. They will have a few new guys, so we need to match that energy.”

Gellert and the rest of the team have been selected from club rugby sides in New Zealand, so the jump from training on cold evenings after work one week to being put up in the seven-star City of Dreams hotel in Colombo has been “quite the adjustment”.

“I don’t think we’ll ever experience a buffet like this ever again. It is quite ironic that we’re an Under-85 kg team and everyone’s eating so well. We’re all soaking it in; it’s great for culture building.”

The Under 85kg grade started in New Zealand almost three decades ago and has long been associated with school leavers that might otherwise drift away from participation. A national club cup competition has been run since 2021, with the final being played as a curtain-raiser for All Blacks Tests and televised live.

From a broader perspective, the tour is strengthening relations between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Read will be headlining a sold-out function this weekend for dignitaries and guests, with NZ High Commissioner David Pine saying that sport diplomacy is something that is vital for building positive international relations.

“Having a team here with a black jersey and a silver fern on it really means a lot… I think it’s a real trump card for us here in Sri Lanka because we’ve got both rugby and cricket. Next year is a big year as it’s the 100th anniversary of the first match between New Zealand and Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was formerly called, and we have big plans for that.”

“It brings people together in a way we all enjoy.”

The opening match is expected to draw another capacity crowd to the Racecourse Ground in Colombo on Saturday night.