{"id":512954,"date":"2026-03-02T01:50:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/512954\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T01:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:50:20","slug":"new-zealand-rugby-announces-u85kg-side-to-return-to-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/512954\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand Rugby announces U85kg side to return to Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/teams\/new-zealand\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New Zealand<\/a> Rugby have announced their U85kg side will travel and return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/teams\/sri-lanka\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sri Lanka<\/a> in April, after last year\u2019s two-match tour was deemed a successful trip with a \u201clasting impact well beyond the field\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the side travelled to Sri Lanka for a historic tour, taking on the Tuskers in a two-match series in Colombo and Kandy, where they returned victorious from both games.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 tour features the same two matches against the Tuskers, with the first fixture taking place in Colombo on 25 April and Game Two in Kandy on 3 May.<\/p>\n<p>Current NZR CEO Steve Lancaster explained that last year\u2019s games had incredible engagement, making it an easy decision to send the team back to Sri Lanka again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re genuinely stoked to be able to confirm this tour and give this team the opportunity to represent New Zealand overseas again,\u201d Lancaster said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSri Lanka are a proud rugby nation and last year\u2019s tour drew passionate crowds and strong community engagement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know the Sri Lankan team will offer another strong challenge on the field and that\u2019s exactly what you expect when you pull on a black jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The team\u2019s head coach, Ben Sinnamon, believes that not only is this a great opportunity for New Zealand players, but it\u2019s a great experience being able to tour a country like Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom a rugby perspective, this is a fantastic opportunity for our players,\u201d Sinnamon said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Tuskers are a passionate rugby team, and we know the standard will be higher again in 2026. Playing in that environment, including the heat and conditions, places real demands on preparation, discipline and execution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTouring and playing internationally asks more of you as a player, in how you prepare, how you compete and how you represent the jersey. This tour gives our players the chance to test themselves properly, grow as a team and experience what it means to represent New Zealand offshore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>2026 Tour Fixtures\u00a0<br \/>Game One:<br \/>New Zealand Under 85kg v Sri Lanka Tuskers<br \/>Colombo \u2013 25 April 2026<\/p>\n<p>Game Two:<br \/>New Zealand Under 85kg v Sri Lanka Tuskers<br \/>Kandy \u2013 3 May 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Zealand Rugby have announced their U85kg side will travel and return to Sri Lanka in April, after&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512955,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-512954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}