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Will Jordan admits to a try-scoring 'work-on'

TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 23: Will Jordan of New Zealand dives in to score his team's a first try during the Autumn Nations Series 2024 match between Italy and New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium at Allianz Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

Having overtaken the late, great Jonah Lomu in the All Blacks’ try-scoring charts, Will Jordan has experienced crossing the whitewash many, many times.

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Thirty-eight tries in 41 Tests – many against the top teams in the world – tells you all you need to know about his prowess as a finisher.

However, the 26-year-old’s teammates believe he’s still to perfect one aspect of his game, despite having had plenty of practice – his dive over the line.

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Will Jordan shares secrets to try-scoring success | RPTV

Prolific try-scorer Will Jordan sat down with Lawrence Dallaglio to discuss his All Blacks career so far. Watch more clips like this on RugbyPass TV

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Will Jordan shares secrets to try-scoring success | RPTV

Prolific try-scorer Will Jordan sat down with Lawrence Dallaglio to discuss his All Blacks career so far. Watch more clips like this on RugbyPass TV

Watch now

Speaking to RWC 2003 winner and TNT Sports commentator Lawrence Dallaglio in an interview on RugbyPass TV, Jordan joked: “The boys give me a grief for having a pretty poor dive, for the amount of tries that I have scored, so it is a bit of a work-on.”

Still in the prime of his life and  scoring at a phenomenal rate of nearly a try a game, Jordan is well on course to overtake Doug Howlett’s all-time record of 49 tries for the All Blacks.

Becoming the first All Black to score a half-century to tries or surpassing Lomu’s tally is not something he’s ever stopped to think about, though.

“I’ve always just tried to really work hard on my understanding of the game and work out where the ball is going to go and finish off a few plums (tries).

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“For me, I am just trying to focus on having a long career in the black jersey and I think being able to play for a long period time will influence that sort of thing.

“I’ve really enjoyed over the last few weeks getting some opportunities at full-back, and the slightly different role that you have to play there.”

Ireland All Blacks match report
Will Jordan celebrates his try for New Zealand away to Ireland (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Jordan’s most recent try against Italy came from full-back rather than on the wing, where he first started out, and it’s a switch that he’s fully on board with as his game matures from an out-and-out try machine to a vital cog in the All Blacks’ back-three with and without the ball.

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“I think I have always enjoyed fullback and probably the more opportunity and responsibility you have got in the game,” he said.

“As I was first coming through, it was great to play on the wing and just kind of being able to express yourself and worry about your role a bit.

“But I think as I have gotten older, as I have got more experience, being involved with the strategy and how you get the team around the park, defensively, communicating more at the back, is the stuff that I have enjoyed.

“Positions are pretty interchangeable but at the moment I am enjoyed the added responsibility you kind of have from the back.”

Related

Watch the exclusive reveal-all episode of Walk the Talk with Ardie Savea as he chats to Jim Hamilton about the RWC 2023 experience, life in Japan, playing for the All Blacks and what the future holds. Watch now for free on RugbyPass TV

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Comments

2 Comments
H
Head high tackle 35 days ago

Great winger. Put him back there please as we have a lot of 15s with 15s skillsets.

C
Cantab 35 days ago

Will is a fine player and is a constant danger to the opposition. NZ could do with a few more of his ilk.

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J
JW 5 hours ago
The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market

I can guarantee that none of the three would have got a chance with Ireland in the state they arrived from NZ.

Why would you think they would?

Two of them were at Leinster and were bench-warmers when they arrived

Sometimes you can be beyond stupid JW.

Haha look who's talking! Hello? Can you just read what you wrote about Leinster to yourself again please lol

It took prob four seasons to get James Lowe's defence up to the required standard to play international footy. If Jacob Stockdale had not experienced a big slump in form he might not have gotten the chance at all.

I'm really not sure why you're making this point. Do you think Ireland are a better team than the All Blacks, where those players would have been straight in? This is like ground hog day the movie with you. Can you not remember much of the discussions, having so many readers/commentors? Yup, 26/7/8 would have been the perfect age for them to have been capped by NZ as well.


Actually, they would obviously have been capped given an opportunity earlier (where they were ineligible to for Ireland).


TTT, who was behind JGP at the Hurricanes, got three AB caps after a couple of further seasons acting as a backup SR player, once JGP left of course. In case you didn't see yourself contradicting your own comments above, JGP was just another player who became first choice for Ireland while 2nd (or even 3rd/outside the 23 in recent cases) for Leinster. And fair enough, no one is suggesting JGP would have surpassed TJP in three or four years either. He would have been an All Black though, and unlike in your Leinster example, similar performances from him would have seen TJP move on earlier to make way for him. Not limited him like he was in Ireland. That's just the advantage of the way they can only afford so many. Hell, one hit wonders like Seta Tamanivalu and Malakai Fekitoa got rocketed into the jersey at the time.


So not just him. Aki and Lowe both would have had opportunities, as you must know has been pointed out by now. It's true that the adversity of having to move to Ireland added a nice bit of mongrel to their game though, along with their typical development.


Aki looked comfortable as the main 12 in his first two seasons, he was fortunate SBW went back to league for a season you could say, but as a similar specialist he ultimate had to give the spot back again on his return. There's certainly no doubt he would have returned and flourished with coachs like Rennie, Wayne Smith, and Andrew Strawbridge, even Tom Coventry. All fair for him to take up an immediate contract instead of wait a year of course though.


It's just whatever the point of your comments are meant to make, your idea that these players wouldn't have achieved high honors in NZ is simply very shortsighted and simplistic. I can only think you are making incorrect conclusions about this topic because of this mistake. As a fan, Aki was looking to be the Nonu replacement for me, but instead the country had the likes of Laumape trying to fill those boots with him available. Ditto with Lowe once Rieko moved to center.

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