NZ Under 85 tour to Sri Lanka

Documentary · Photography · Video by Johnny Hendrikus.
Documentary & sports photography

The New Zealand Under 85 team performs a haka beneath a dramatic evening sky.

A tour worth coming along for

My part: Filming, scripting, editing & photography
Where: Sri Lanka
When: 2025

Fourteen days in Sri Lanka with the NZ Under 85s. I shot, scripted and edited the documentary, alongside photographs of the rugby and everything happening around it.

Fourteen days, a lot to take in

An epic experience. I spent 14 days in Sri Lanka with the NZ Under 85s, shooting, scripting and editing the story of the tour. Being there with the team meant the camera could follow the whole journey: the bus rides, the training sessions, the people we met and the games themselves.

There is something pretty special about watching rugby bring people together that far from home. The photographs hold onto those smaller moments alongside the intensity of the matches.

Bring it back as a story

For me, the documentary is where those pieces come together. The build-up in the changing room, the walk onto the field and the feeling afterwards all matter. I wanted to bring you along for the experience, with enough space for the people and the place to come through.