- To face Asia Pacific Lions in Aug.
Sri Lanka seems to be the touring destination of choice for overseas teams, as the Northampton Saints have agreed to play the Asia Pacific Lions (APL) in Sri Lanka on 28 August at the Race Course International Stadium in Colombo.
A press release from the English Premiership club said that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SC Global Consultancy’s APL Rugby at Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
The APL were officially launched in Sydney, Australia, during the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour with an ambitious goal of bringing world-class rugby players from Asia and the Pacific to play matches against top-tier opposition in Asia.
They had said at the time that they were expected to play a UK Premiership rugby club in Sri Lanka in 2026.
Legend David Campese, who played 101 times for the Wallabies, is Director of Rugby for the APL and will “oversee a Barbarians-style squad featuring leading talent drawn from across Asia and the Pacific islands”.
‘’I was there in Sri Lanka two years ago and met players whom I played against in Hong Kong Sevens and Commonwealth Games Sevens – so much passion for rugby, so the players need more opportunities like this, and fans deserve bigger events to witness in their country.”
The APL team have, according to reports in the UK media, signed on former Australian scrum-half Will Genia, who recently completed his time in Japan as a coach this season.
APL Founder and Director Saabir Cader confirmed that Jamie Henry, the former Japanese wing, was the team’s Captain.
Other names speculated to be on their radar are the likes of Brave Blossoms’ Michael Leitch (which seems unlikely, considering they have Tests against the Wallabies two weeks before the planned Sri Lanka match), as well as former All Black Julian Savea.
He said: “Mostly we want players who have played Test matches or Super Rugby, and we’ll pick up players from [Super Rugby side] Moana Pasifika who are going bust, and some from Fijian Drua. We want to create diversity in the team and opportunities for the underprivileged fans to watch. It’s more than a game.”
The reports also indicated that both Leicester Tigers and Saracens had been approached but were not interested.
English Test players at Northampton (such as Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell, and Henry Pollock) will all travel to Sri Lanka, but if they play in the Nations Championship 2026 internationals, they will not be permitted to play in the Sri Lankan game.
Northampton Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for Saints. We’re delighted to be taking on this challenge and heading somewhere so different. We haven’t travelled as a group during preseason for a while, so the chance to do that again is something the players and staff are really looking forward to.
He added that if the tour went well, the Saints could return in 2027, and potentially alongside a French team.
Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) President Pavithra Fernando added: “This is a significant moment for Sri Lanka and Asia Rugby. Successfully hosting the New Zealand U85 kg tour for the second consecutive year has been an invaluable experience, offering meaningful exposure and learning opportunities for our players and officials.
“We are thrilled to welcome Northampton Saints and the Asia Pacific Lions, an exciting development that we believe will further elevate and transform the game across the region.”
The Sri Lanka Tuskers XV National Team are competing in the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2026 with fixtures at the same Race Course Stadium on 24 May vs. Hong Kong China, and then on 13 June at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium in Korea.
Sri Lanka is also due to host the newly launched Emirates Sevens Asia Rugby Clubs Cup from 4 to 5 July.
The Sri Lanka National Sevens Teams will be competing in the CASA Sevens from 16 to 17 May before playing the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series later this year.
Colombo will also host the second and final leg on 17 and 18 October. At the end of the year, the teams will compete in the Asian Games in Japan.
SLR has announced a 21-man high-performance sevens men’s squad, which it said will not be competing in XVs.
(Source: Agencies)