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

rugbyasia247 Posted On May 9, 2025

2 Views

Match #2 Squads NZ U85ks vs Sri Lanka 2025

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.

Photo Credit – NZR – Match #1 was won by NZ U85kg 50-10 in Kandy

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.

Photo Credit -NZR – the U85kg team has been very giving of their time with fans in Sri Lanka

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.

Photo Credit – NZR

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

The game is due to be broadcast in Sri Lanka via local partner Dialog, and fans in NZ and globally can see the games on the NZR platform NZ Plus (which is free to download).

Match #2 Squads NZ U85ks vs Sri Lanka 2025

NZ U85kg Squad

You can see more from the first match here.

Match #2 Squads NZ U85ks vs Sri Lanka 2025

Sri Lanka Squad

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).