15-05-2025
U85kg game hits the spot in SL
A prop, a lock and a halfback walked into the room, and Will Henry could not tell the difference.
That is under 85kg rugby for you.
Everyone is roughly the same size and shape.
Henry, an assistant coach for the Otago NPC team, recently toured Sri Lanka with the New Zealand under 85kg team and was still buzzing when he spoke to the Otago Daily Times about the experience.
They played two tests and won both — 50-10 and 32-6.
No surprises there. But Henry was surprised by the passion Sri Lankans had for the game.
Game two was reportedly played in front of a crowd of 25,000.
Whether that number was entirely accurate or not is up for debate, but they certainly made a lot of noise.
"Man, they love rugby, I tell you," Henry said.
They also loved the New Zealanders, who got the All Blacks treatment.
"They wanted to get things like selfies, photos and signatures.
"And they support their own rugby. They had a couple of high school matches on when we were there. I think one of them had 15,000 people at that ground.
"And they're very passionate, very vocal.
"That was definitely a surprise to me. I thought it was more of a cricket-loving nation. But no, rugby is a well-supported sport over there."
Henry's role was to make sure the scrums went forward and the lineouts functioned properly.
"It was interesting because when I walk into a room, usually I know who my forward pack is going to be.
"They kind of stick out because they're either really tall or they've got quite broad shoulders.
"But with this team, it was quite hard. I saw a couple of the taller players and thought that they might be part of the forward pack.
"But when we split up [into forwards and backs], they walked off."
The brand of rugby is quite different from, perhaps, club rugby, where teams are trying to set up mismatches in the defensive line by banging the ball up phase after phase.
When everyone is more or less the same size, you have to look for other ways.
The New Zealand team played with "a lot of speed, a lot of skill and they were pretty fearless around how they tried to play".
"They often looked for space and tried to get it in straight away.
"So, from that perspective, it was really exciting to work with a group that were, I guess, really attacking in their mindset."
Henry believes the under-85kg format has a bright future.
"I think it's a lovely area where players aren't required to play against the heavier blokes, but can still play at a really good level.
"I thought that both tests [against Sri Lanka] showcased the different elements of the game and there was a lot of great play."
The next step is to build the profile and increase participation in the National Club Cup under-85kg competition.
