Northampton Saints Set Sights On Sri Lanka Tour In August 2026 To Face Asia Pacific Lions

Sri Lanka seems to be the touring destination of choice for overseas teams, as the Northampton Saints have agreed to play the Asia Pacific Lions in Sri Lanka on 28 August 2026 at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo.

Photo Credit – Northampton Saints

A press release from the English Premiership club said that they had signed an MoU with SC Global Consultancy’s Asia Pacific Lions Rugby (APL) at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

The Asia Pacific Lions Rugby (APL) was officially launched in Sydney, Australia, during the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour with an ambitious goal of bringing world-class rugby players from Asia and the Pacific to play matches against top-tier opposition in Asia. They had said at the time that they were expected to play a UK Premiership Rugby club in Sri Lanka in 2026.

David Campese, who played 101 times for the Wallabies, is Director of Rugby for the Asia Pacific Lions and will “oversee a Barbarians-style squad featuring leading talent drawn from across Asia and the Pacific Islands.”

Campesee said, “It’s an opportunity that reflects the diversity, talent, and ambition of Asia and the Pacific. Facing Northampton Saints gives us the perfect platform to showcase that on a global stage.

I was there in Sri Lanka two years ago and met players whom I played against in Hong Kong 7s and Commonwealth Games 7s, so much passion for rugby, so the players need more opportunities like this, and fans deserve bigger events to witness in their country.”

The Asia Pacific Lions team has, according to reports in the UK media, signed on former Australian scrum half, Will Genia, who recently completed his time in Japan as a coach this season.

Saabir Cader, Founder and Director of the Asia Pacific Lions, confirmed that Jamie Henry, the former Japanese wing, is the team’s captain. Other names speculated to be on their radar are the likes of Brave Blossom Michael Leitch (which seems unlikely, considering they have Tests against the Wallabies two weeks before the planned Sri Lanka match), as well as former All Black Julian Savea.

He said, “Mostly we want players who have played Test matches or Super Rugby, and we’ll pick up players from [Super Rugby side] Moana Pasifika who are going bust, and some from Fijian Drua. We want to create diversity in the team and opportunities for the underprivileged fans to watch. It’s more than a game.”

The reports also indicated that both Leicester Tigers and Saracens had been approached but were not interested (both clubs made sense as they have affiliate clubs in Asia).

English Test players at Northampton (such as Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell and Henry Pollock) will all travel to Sri Lanka, but if they play in the Nations Championship 2026 internationals, they will not be permitted to play in the Sri Lankan game.

Northampton’s Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, said, “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for Saints. We’re delighted to be taking on this challenge and heading somewhere so different. We haven’t travelled as a group during preseason for a while, so the chance to do that again is something the players and staff are really looking forward to.

Immersing ourselves in a new culture and taking rugby to an emerging but passionate rugby nation like Sri Lanka creates powerful shared experiences for our group – while also contributing to the continued global development of the game.”

Details regarding kick-off time, ticketing, tour information, and community engagement programmes will be confirmed in due course, the press release confirmed.

Photo Credit – Northampton Saints

First Steps for Asia Pacific Lions

Saabir Cader, Founder and Director of the Asia Pacific Lions, said: “This is a historic day for rugby in our region. Signing this agreement at Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens is a powerful statement of intent. Partnering with a club of Saints’ heritage, success and professionalism uphold our vision.”

He added that if the tour goes well, the Saints could return in 2027, and potentially alongside a French team.

Pavithra Fernando, President of Sri Lanka Rugby, added: “This is a significant moment for Sri Lanka and Asia Rugby. Successfully hosting the New Zealand U85kg tour for the second consecutive year has been an invaluable experience, offering meaningful exposure and learning opportunities for our players and officials.

We are thrilled to welcome Northampton Saints and the Asia Pacific Lions, an exciting development that we believe will further elevate and transform the game across the region.”

The Sri Lanka Tuskers XV national team are competing in the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2026 with fixtures at the same Racecourse Stadium on Sunday, 24 May 2026 vs Hong Kong China, and then on Saturday, 13 June 2026 at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium away to Korea.

Sri Lanka is also due to host the newly launched Emirates 7’s Asia Rugby Clubs Cup from 4-5 July 2026.

The Sri Lanka national 7s teams will be competing in the CASA 7s from 16-17 May before playing the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series later in 2026. Colombo will also host the second and final leg from October 17-18, 2026. At the end of the year, the teams will compete in the Asian Games in Japan. Sri Lanka Rugby has announced a 21-man High Performance Sevens Men’s Squad, who they said will not be competing in XVs.

Asian Rugby News 2026

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• Gerry Prabhu On CASA, Rugby India’s Growth, and RPL Season 2.
• Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.
• WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 To Be Hosted in Hong Kong.