NZ U85kg Far Too Strong For Sri Lanka Tuskers In Historic Match in Kandy

The match at Nittawela Rugby Stadium in Kandy saw a packed crowd, literally hanging from the rafters, as they saw the NZ U85kg side beat the Sri Lanka Tuskers 50-10 and grounded the home side’s expectations after their recent thumping of Malaysia. For the visitors, they have one hand firmly on the newly launched Sir Graham Henry trophy and look likely to get the job done in the second leg in Colombo on May 10 at the Racecourse Stadium.

Much was made by the local media and the commentary team that the recent win over the Malasyians has provided the Sri Lankans a pathway to qualify for RWC 2027, but the game was a starrk reminder that they still have a long way to go when they face the more physical Hong Kong China, UAE, and Korean sides over coming weeks in the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship (not the Asian cup or whatever guest NZ commentator Scotty Stevenson kept referring it as).

The match itself in the rugby-loving region of Kandy was mostly entertaining and provided the high tempo and fast running style of rugby that Sir Graham Henry and others at NZR will hope to showcase the format to new regions, and talks are already afoot of having a quadrangular tournament if the popularity takes off.

Photo Credit – SLR / NZR

Following the traditional anthems and the haka, which was led by Jamie Petford (from Pakuranga Black Panthers) the game got off to a rapid start and most of the opening 10 minutes was spent in the hosts half. New Zealand number 8 Pasia Asiata opened the scoring after a driving maul nearly went over, and he went on to have a fantastic all-around game, as did his fellow backrow, as they made serious meters despite the apparent weight disadvantage compared to the Sri Lankan forwards.

Pōneke’s Asiata is a nephew of former Manu Samoa midfielder Brian ‘Chiropractor’ Lima.

Sri Lanka did have a period of pressure and repeated lineouts from the NZ try line, but their driving maul was misfiring, which would be one concern when they face more physical sides in the upcoming championship. It was Asiata again who was in the mix as he stole the ball and resulted in a 95m running try for his team, with Jamie Petford scoring for a lead of 12-0.

Sri Lanka didn’t handle the NZ U85s kicking game well and continually went for lineout options when they could, but it was repeatedly stopped by the Kiwis. Eventually, the visitors had lock Jack Laity yellow carded for repeated infringements and Sri Lanka had the numbers and muscle to drive over for a try, with eight-man Dahan Wickramarachchi scoring a converted try for a 12-7 score.

Photo Credit – SLR / NZR

The atmosphere was unbelievable in the stadium, but as the game went on, the NZ u85s nullified the crowd with excellent attacks and hands shown, with their running rugby often finding gaps in the Sri Lankan defence. NZ fullback Francis Morrison was particularly devastating with the ball in hand, and his work led to the NZ 3rd try as centre Ben Megson scored.

A cynical piece of play by Sri Lankan Lahiru Thilakaratne defending on his try line saw him get his marching orders and ten minutes in the bin, and Jack Laity, who was back after his own yellow card, crashed over for the 4th try under the posts. The second row is the brother-in-law of All Black Beauden Barrett, and his score extended a comfortable gap as the teams went into halftime.

The second half, which was expected to see the visitors struggle in the humidity and heat, saw the home team falter. They did get three points from a penalty but rarely threatened the NZ try line again, despite a clumsy challenge seeing star player Pasia Asiata also sent to the bin.

The U85s just had too much pace and were selecting some excellent attacking lines to split open the Sri Lankan defence. The NZ captain Jarred Percival dropped the ball over the line to be denied a try, but Morrison found space with his runs and made good ground on most attempts.  Eventually Jarred Percival scored the 5th try as broken play suited the team in black, and Sri Lanka looked increasingly disjointed and unsure in attack themselves.

The final quarter also saw the NZ side exert some scrum dominance, and the NZ backs showed great hands as they scored again, and there were warning signs of floodgates opening.

Photo Credit – SLR / NZR

The Sri Lankan strike rate from the driving mauls remained poor, and they seemed to lack any creativity at lineout time.

Pasia Asiata scored a brace and Francis Morrison added his second shortly after with a superb line for the team’s 8th try and a 50-10 final score. High School Old Boys Josh Purdon was named man-of-the-match.

Sri Lanka 10

Tries – Dahan Wickramarachchi

New Zealand U85KG 50

Tries – Pasia Asiata 2, Jamie Petford 1, Fed Megson 1, Jack Laity 1, Francis Morrison 2, Jarred Percival 1

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