Sri Lanka to host All Blacks U-85kg side, rewriting history after 118 years
Creating a landmark in rugby history, Sri Lanka will host an official All Blacks team next month, as the national side—Tuskers—faces off against the newly-formed New Zealand Under 85kg team in a historic two-match Test series.
History will be rewritten from Sri Lanka’s perspective, as the island nation welcomes a professional All Blacks team for the first time in 118 years—since 12 September 1907. That historic encounter marked Sri Lanka’s first-ever international rugby match, when the national side—then known as Ceylon—faced New Zealand. The visitors, in the midst of their tour of Australia and Great Britain, made a stopover in Colombo and secured a 33–6 victory.
Harsha Samaranayake, Vice President - Brand and Media at Dialog Axiata (third from left), the series’ main sponsor, presents the Tuskers jersey to the organisers in the presence of David Pine, New Zealand High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Since then, New Zealand has firmly established itself at the summit of world rugby. Having adopted the sport in 1884, the All Blacks have claimed three Rugby World Cup titles (1987, 2011, and 2015) and 20 Tri-Nations championships. Their unparalleled success is a testament to their dominance—and explains why countless Sri Lankan fans proudly support the All Blacks.
Given this rich background, what makes the upcoming two-match Test series historic and significant from New Zealand’s perspective? The answer lies in the fact that it will mark the inaugural international outing for the newly-formed New Zealand Under-85kg All Blacks, with Sri Lanka chosen as the destination for this debut.
“It was a response from Sir Graham Henry, the former World Cup-winning All Blacks coach, to a humble favour I’ve been requesting from him for many years,” revealed Inthi Marikkar, former Director of High Performance at Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), during the official launch of the series. “I’ve known Sir Graham for years, having travelled to New Zealand many times to expand my knowledge of rugby coaching. We became good friends over time, and I’ve consistently sought his support. This tour is his generous response.”
Currently ranked 40th in the world, Sri Lanka has endured a turbulent period in recent years. While the national 7s team has made intermittent appearances in regional competitions, the 15s side has been largely inactive.
That is set to change. Following a two-year absence from the Asian regional series, Sri Lanka will return to action in a repechage match against Malaysia on 19 April in Colombo. The Test series against the New Zealand Under-85kg team will follow on 4 May in Kandy (Nittawela) and 11 May in Colombo (Racecourse Grounds).
The series holds another unique distinction: it will be the first time Under-85kg rugby will be played at an international level between two nations. The weight-restricted format was launched in New Zealand in 2020, aimed at increasing participation and offering a fair, balanced competition for players of a smaller build.
The inaugural New Zealand Under-85kg domestic competition featured 19 teams, and by 2022 had expanded to nearly 50, even spreading to Australia. Last year, New Zealand Rugby assembled its first national Under-85kg team—and their maiden international appearance will be against Sri Lanka.
For the tour, Sri Lanka will field an open-weight team, with a key safety condition: all front-row forwards must weigh under 105kg. This measure has been introduced to ensure player safety while maintaining competitive fairness.
Adding further significance, the organisers—under the guidance of the Ministry of Sports—plan to commemorate the occasion with the creation of a dedicated forest in Kegalle, near the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Maintained in the future by Kegalu Balika Vidyalaya, the forest will feature a tree for every All Blacks player to have represented New Zealand since 1884—a living tribute to their contribution to the sport.