Will Sri Lanka Tuskers Level the Series Against NZ U85kg in Colombo?

Following a comprehensive defeat to the NZ U85kg team last week in Kandy, the hosts will try and level the series in Colombo, but more importantly, they need to address their shortcomings to be competitive in the upcoming Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025.

The second and final game will be played at Racecourse International Stadium, which is where Sri Lanka trounced the Malaysian team not so long ago to be elevated to the top tier in Asia, and there is expected to be another packed crowd after as many as 25,000 are thought to have attended last weekend’s match.

While the NZ side were too fast, too slick and accurate for the Sri Lankan side, the hosts need to up the physicality, and produce a much improved set piece while having a clearer plan in attack with the ball in hand. Defensively, the holes that the incisive NZ backs found at will and more so as the game went on last week, need to be plugged. For all the fanfare of the tour, at times it feels like the SRL and its media are forgetting these are vital preparation games for what is to come.

Yes, the Sir Graham Henry Trophy is at stake, and everything off the field, the social media attention, and the graciousness of the hosts and the willingness of the tourists to interact with the fans should all be applauded, but Sri Lanka Rugby can quickly find itself going the route of the Malaysians of recent years, which is severely stalled progress if they don’t focus on their development and exposure at the rare international level.

Some of the standouts for the New Zealand side included their skipper and fly-half Jarad Percival, 8th man Pasia Asiata and fullback Francis Morrison, and they all start again on Saturday.

For the Tuskers, captain Nigel Ratwatte is expected to again be a talisman (although there were reports this week he was ill), and Kandy Sports Club’s playmaker and leading points scorer of the season, Tarinda Ratwatte, is back in the squad after recovering from injury.  Other players in the mix are number eight Lasindu Karunathilake, scrum-half Heshan Jansen, and wingers Janidu Dilshan and Dinal Ekanayake – the latter grabbed a hat-trick in the win over Malaysia and vice-captain Dhanushka Ranjan.

The changes suggest a more lethal backline, but the foundations will still need to be laid by the pack, who should be looking to dominate the NZ side and at least control the ball better at scrum time and from the rolling mauls which were mostly toothless last week.

For the visitors, they have already won over legions of new fans and, by all accounts, have loved their first international tour. For Sri Lanka, a win would be a great scalp, but more importantly, a much improved performance will enable them to face the likes of the UAE, Korea, and Hong Kong China with better confidence.

Where to Watch NZ U85kg Tour of Sri Lanka 2025

Watch LIVE action on ThePapare 1 HD (Dialog TV Ch. 126), Dialog ViU App and ThePapare.com from 06:00 PM (GMT + 5:30) onwards.

Match #2 Squads NZ U85ks vs Sri Lanka 2025

NZ U85kg Squad

01) Tom Rolland
02) Callum Nimmo
03) Jeandre Du Toit
04) Jack Laity
05) Ridgley Paxton
06) Josh Purdon
07) Josh Gellert – (Vice Captain)
08) Pasia Asiata
09) Jackson Ephraima
10) Jarred Percival – (Captain)
11) Pieter Swarts
12) Ben Megson
13) Campbell Busby
14) Jamie Petford
15) Francis Morrison
16) Matt Treeby
17) Ben Biggelaar
18) Frazer Harrison
19) Luke Eyre
20) Tyler Koning
21) Ned Milne
22) Eamon Reily
23) Adam Preston

Sri Lanka Squad

01) Janindu Fernando

02) Pulasthi Dasanayake

03) Thanuja Jayaweera

04) Naveen Marasinghe

05) Thilina Bandara

06) Nizran Nillar

07) Tharindu Chathuranga

08) Lasindu Karunathilake

09) Heshan Jansen

10) Tharinda Ratwatte

11) Janindu Dilshan

12) Akash Madusanka

13) Danushka Ranjan – (Captain)

14) Dinal Ekanayake

15) Srinath Sooriyabandara

16) Venura Kodagoda

17) Vimukthi Gamage

18) Hafiz Thabeeth

19) Senura Perera

20) Lahiru Thilakaratne

21) Mohamed Rifan

22) Shahid Zumri

23) Thenuka Nanayakkara

The players and their local clubs are listed below:
Janidu Fernando (Havelocks), Puslathi Dassanayake (CH & FC), Thanuja Jayaweera (CR & FC), Naveen Marasinghe (CR & FC), Thilina Bandara (Kandy SC), Nizran Nillar (Sri Lions), Tharindu Chathuranga (Kandy SC), Lasindu Karunathilake (CR & FC), Heshan Jansen (Kandy SC), Nigel Ratwatte (Captain – Kandy SC), Janidu Dilshan (CH & FC), Tarinda Ratwatte (Kandy SC), Dhanushka Ranjan (Kandy SC), Dinal Ekanayake (Kandy SC), Srinath Sooriyabandara, Venura Kodagoda (CR & FC), Vimukthi Gamage (CH & FC), Hafiz Thabeeth (Police SC), Senura Perera (CR & FC), Lahiru Thilakaratne (Kandy SC Mohamed Rifan (Havelocks), Shaahid Zumri (Kandy SC), Akash Madushanka (Police SC), Dahan Wickramarachchi (Kandy SC), Thenuka Nananayakkara (CR & FC).