New Zealand U-85kg team beat Sri Lanka 32-06 in Colombo to seal clean sweep
May 10, 2025 08:45 pm
The New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team completed a series whitewash after defeating Sri Lanka’s Tuskers by 32-06 in the second and final game of the tour at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo.
New Zealanders were somewhat shellshocked at the start of the game as the boisterous capacity crowd made their presence felt.
Following an intense defence battle, New Zealanders opened the scoring much to the dismay of the home fans.
They followed it up with two more tries and Sri Lanka responded with a solitary penalty through Tharinda Ratwatte before halftime.
At lemons, New Zealand led 17-03.
After a seesaw battle following the resumption, Tharinda Ratwatte managed to put over his second penalty of the day to reduce the deficit to 17-06.
The visitors responded immediately with a penalty of their own to maintain their 14-point lead at the scoreline read 20-06.
New Zealanders scored another try before the second water break to extend their lead to 27-06.
The dying stages of the game saw the fifth try for the New Zealand Under-85kg team who completed an impressive tour to Sri Lanka which was the first since 1955.
The visitors were also awarded the Sir Graham Hendry trophy.
