New Zealand U85kg side delivered a commanding performance to comprehensively defeat Sri Lanka 50–10 in the first leg of their historic tour of Sri Lanka, held at Nittawela Stadium.
The historic two-legged series between the touring New Zealand U85kg rugby team and Sri Lanka kicked off at a packed Nittawela Stadium, as Sri Lanka’s veteran playmaker Nigel Ratwatte got proceedings underway on his home turf.
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The visitors wasted no time stamping their authority. Their powerful forwards dominated the early exchanges, using a rolling maul to set the tone. A series of strong carries put the Sri Lankans under pressure, eventually conceding penalties. From a well-executed lineout, scrum-half Jackson Ephraima spotted space down the blind side and fired a flat, accurate pass to No. 8 Pasia Asiata, who powered over in the corner for the opening try. Jarred Percival slotted the conversion to give New Zealand a perfect start. (SL 00-07 NZU85)
Despite conceding early, Sri Lanka responded with renewed energy through their forwards. But a crucial turnover by Asiata flipped momentum. He surged down the flank and chipped ahead, forcing a misjudgment from Sri Lanka’s fullback Pasindu Bandara. Hooker Callum Nimmo was quickest to react, securing the loose ball. It was then spun wide with precision passing from Ben Megson to Campbell Busby and finally to Jamie Petford, who dived over to finish a stunning 95-meter counterattack. (SL 00-12 NZU85)
The home side eventually found their rhythm, opting for their own rolling maul after forcing a penalty. With New Zealand down to 14 men following Jack Laity’s yellow card for a breakdown infringement, Sri Lanka kicked to the corner. The resulting maul rumbled over, and Dahan Wickramarachchi dotted down. Ratwatte added the extras to cut the deficit to five points. (SL 07-12 NZU85)
But the Kiwis struck back immediately. Fullback Francis Morrison fielded a goal-line dropout and carved through the Sri Lankan defense with a blistering run. He offloaded to flanker Josh Gellert, who then fed Megson for another well-constructed try. Percival once again converted. (SL 07-19 NZU85)
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Sri Lanka struggled to cope with the pace and structure of the New Zealanders. Ephraima delivered quick ball from the base, feeding Laity, who sent Morrison slicing through the line. Though stopped short, Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thilakarathne was penalized for slowing the ball down and shown a yellow card. The visitors opted for another lineout, and after two well-structured phases, Laity powered over under the posts. Percival added the easy conversion as New Zealand went into the break firmly in control.
Half Time: Sri Lanka 07 (1T,1C) – New Zealand U85KG 26 (4T,3C)
Sri Lanka began the second half brightly, earning a penalty for a breakdown infringement just inside the 40-meter mark. Skipper Nigel Ratwatte stepped up and confidently slotted the long-range effort to add three points for the Tuskers. (SL 10-19 NZU85)
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However, the New Zealanders quickly regained control. Building momentum through strong carries and well-structured phases, replacement scrum half Taine Cordell-Hull sent the ball to skipper Jarred Percival. A clever dummy opened up space as Percival burst through the gap, offloading to Pasia Asiata, who continued the break before returning the ball to Percival. Though he fumbled briefly, he regathered to go over for the opening try of the second half—and converted it himself. (SL 10-33 NZU85)
Moments later, Sri Lanka lost possession at a scrum inside their own half. The visitors reacted swiftly, moving the ball wide to the left where fullback Francis Morrison delivered a long pass to Eamon Reily. Reily stepped inside, drew two defenders, and offloaded to Morrison, who powered over in the corner. (SL 10-38 NZU85)
The momentum was firmly with the Kiwis, and things went from bad to worse for the Tuskers. Another slick passage of play saw Eamon Reily executes a brilliant show-and-go to pierce the defensive line. He linked up with Morrison, who again turned provider—this time putting Pasia Asiata over for his second try of the match. (SL 10-43 NZU85)
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The New Zealand U85s sealed their dominant display with a beautifully angled run from Morrison, who sliced through the Sri Lankan defence one last time to score the final try of the match.
Full Time: Sri Lanka 10 (1T,1C,1P) – New Zealand U85KG 50 (8T,5C)
Commercial Bank Player of the Match: Josh Purdon (New Zealand U85KG)
Points Breakdown
Sri Lanka 10
Dahan Wickramarachchi 1T, Nigel Ratwatte 1C,1P
New Zealand U85KG 50
Pasia Asiata 2T, Jamie Petford 1T, Fed Megson 1T, Jack Laity 1T, Francis Morrison 2T, Jarred Percival 1T,4C
