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Silverdale United Rugby players will be among the U85s national team heading to Sri Lanka this week for a two-match international tour against Sri Lanka’s national side, with Game One in Colombo on April 25 and Game Two in Kandy on May 3.
Forward Oliver Dunn-Parrant (24) and halfback Jackson Ephraims (26) were selected following two strong seasons with the club’s U85s side, the Silverdale Truffle-Pigs, who have been North Harbour champions for the past two years.
Toby Snelgrove was also selected but unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury.
Ephraims was also part of the previous U85s Sri Lanka squad that toured in 2025.
Silverdale U85s coach Tane Solomon says both players are strong team men and have the skills selectors are looking for against the open-weight team they will face in Sri Lanka.
“Oliver is a strong front rower and very technical around the set piece, which suits the style of the game plan they want to play in Sri Lanka, and that made him a key selection. Jackson is fast and nimble with a great skill set, super fit and also a Touch Black, so he is very agile and can control the play around the ruck.”
Ephraims will join the squad later due to touch rugby commitments, but says he feels better prepared for the upcoming tour.
“Last time I didn’t know what to expect, or how big rugby was in Sri Lanka, or how the All Blacks are viewed. It was pretty special. The atmosphere is a lot more intense than you find at New Zealand rugby stadiums. The crowd is a lot closer to the field, with people on top of roofs and cars and piling into the stadium.”
It gave the team a taste of what it felt like to compete at a premier level, Ephraims says.
“We’re all amateur rugby players, and walking out to the ground for the first game and seeing maybe 20,000 people packed in to watch us play rugby against their country was amazing.”
It will be Dunn-Parrant’s first run with the team. He has been playing rugby since he was about eight and is in his second year playing U85s.
“As a team, we had quite a few players put forward for selection, so I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t really expecting it at all. It’s exciting. They hadn’t announced they were going away until they selected the team.”
Silverdale United Rugby chair Hugh Goddard says the club is incredibly proud to have Toby, Oliver and Jackson all named in the New Zealand U85s squad.
“To have three Silverdale players selected is a fantastic achievement for them personally and a real credit to the work they have put in, along with the support of their coaches, teammates and families,” he says.
“It is also a great reflection of the strength of our club and the U85s game. Opportunities like this are special, and we know the boys will represent Silverdale and New Zealand with pride on the Sri Lanka tour.”
