History will be made today as the Sri Lanka Tuskers will take on the New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team in a much-anticipated encounter at the Nittawela Stadium in Kandy.
The game is scheduled to get underway at 4p.m.
The New Zealand squad led by Jarred Percival arrived in Colombo on April 30 and had been continuously training in Kandy.
Despite this being the first official New Zealand Under 85kg national side, the team brings significant experience and international flair. The squad is packed with talent, drawn from 13 leading clubs across the country. Twelve players featured in last season’s thrilling National Club Cup Final, representing Christchurch’s High School Old Boys Light Bears (seven players) and Auckland’s Pakuranga Black Panthers (five players).
Meanwhile, the Tuskers are expected to relish the opportunity to test themselves against some of the best weight-restricted rugby players from New Zealand, especially after their win against Malaysia in April.
Sri Lanka led by Nigel Ratwatte defeated Malaysia by 59-19 in the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship play-off game played in Colombo on April 19.
Ratwatte will continue to lead the Lankan squad which features some of the seasoned and in-form players.
He will have the services of the likes of Srinath Sooriyabandara, Kavindu Perera, Thilina Bandara and Chathura Soysa.
Experienced Sanath Martis has been entrusted once again to lead the coaching setup which consists of Dushanth Lewke, Saliya Kumara and Tharaka Algama.
A large crowd is also expected in Kandy this evening to witness this historic encounter.
This is the first meeting between the two teams in Sri Lanka, despite the long-standing rugby ties between two nations.
It is reported, in 1955, a New Zealand rugby squad on their way to England, stopped in Sri Lanka and played a historic match in Colombo.
In the past 70 years, no rugby game had taken place between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the country.
Meanwhile, the second game of the tour of New Zealand will take place on May 10 at the Racecourse Stadium in Colombo.
Organizers have decided to award the Sir Graham Henry Trophy to the winner of the tour.
