The peculiar history of the All Blacks try record – and why Will Jordan could buck the trend

Join the Miguel Delaney team: Inside Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter to get exclusive access and unparalleled insight. Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter Football Rieko Ioane will move to Dublin at the end November, following long-time centre Jordie Barrett on a short-term break at Leinster. The All Blacks wing-cum-centre-cum-wing-again has not yet celebrated his 29th birthday but finds himself currently out of the New Zealand side; an outside-back reshuffle may loom with Caleb Clarke out of the encounter with England but Scott Robertson’s recent selections suggest that Leicester Fainga’anku, Quinn Tupaea and Billy Proctor have supplanted Ioane in the chase for the No 13 shirt.Such is life in a nation perhaps more richly resourced in elite rugby athletes than any other. Ioane is still a possibility, but this year he has been dropped from the team. He started five matches as a winger, then was left out. His last 10 matches clad in black have produced just a single score – it is a genuine question if a player who once seemed destined to race into the record books after amassing 22 tries in his first 21 Tests will score many more.open image in galleryRieko Ioane was left out of the All Blacks squad for their first two autumn Tests (Getty Images)Ioane will, at least, find a few ex-New Zealand internationals who will be able to sympathise. The 87-captain is not the first player to suffer such a fate. In fact, his versatility as a centre has allowed him to survive longer than many. It is 18 years since Doug Howlett scored his 49th and final international try, and still no New Zealand men’s player, with a deserved nod to Black Ferns star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, has cracked 50. From Jeff Wilson to Christian Cullen, Joe Rokocoko to Julian Savea, the country has produced a great many marksmen but no-one with the longevity to challenge the disputed Test record tally of 69 of Japan’s Daisuke Ohata. Howlett, the only Kiwi among the top 10, is joined by seven All Blacks in positions 11 to 20. Most All Blacks TriesPlayerTestsTries1Doug Howlett62492Christian Cullen58462Joe Rokocoko68462Julian Savea54465Beauden Barrett143456Will Jordan52446Jeff Wilson60448Ben Smith84399Rieko Ioane873810Jonah Lomu6337It is a perhaps peculiar trend that extends deeper still – Sitiveni Sivivatu, for example, reaped 29 tries in 44 All Blacks appearances. In fact, he was 29 when he made his final international appearance. This came shortly after announcing a move to Clermont Auvergne. Rokocoko was not yet 28 when Graham Henry wielded the axe; Savea’s 27th birthday celebrations were overshadowed by his dropping from the squad for the 2017 Rugby Championship. “Our lifespan as wingers in New Zealand is really short, they’re always coming out the woodwork so you’ve got to be on your toes,” Rokocoko said in an interview with Sky Sports, shortly after Savea had lost his position in 2017. “You may be Julian Savea, Jonah Lomu or Jeff Wilson, you can be doing your thing and someone comes along and does it better or flashier, then he’s the next big thing. That jersey isn’t ours – we’re just caretakers. You try to take care of it, then someone comes after you to take over, to take on the burden and to carry that jersey forward.”Joe Rokocoko ended his international career in 1996 with 46 tries. (Getty Images). Try records are funny, they’re chased by some and trivialized by others. Christian Wade has made mention of chasing down Chris Ashton’s Prem Rugby record after signing deals at Gloucester and Newcastle in the last two years. But it would have given Damian Penaud little consolation to go past Serge Blanco with his 39th and 40th tries on Saturday evening, given the Springboks surge that followed in France’s defeat to South Africa. open image in galleryDoug Howlett still holds the record for most tries by an All Black (Getty Images)Ohata’s mark – swelled by tries against England A, Australia A and the disbanded Arabian Gulf – could well be under threat before long from Georgia’s Akaki Tabutsadze, who has hit 50 in just 55 Tests, and Howlett’s All Blacks record should soon be surpassed, finally, too. Beauden Barrett, who is as important to coach Robertson as ever, is just four tries away from the record. However, the greatest threat to the All Blacks’ record comes from Will Jordan. Jordan scored the 44th try in the victory over Scotland, and looks to be bucking the trend of the back three. Robertson could consider moving Jordan to the wide position to compensate the loss of Clarke. Jordan is less dependent on his explosive athleticism than some others who have failed in the past. He has already signed a contract until the 2027 World Cup. It’s unlikely that he won’t be able to blow away his compatriots. Will Jordan scored his 44th New Zealand try against Scotland (Getty Images).“For me it’s always been about trying to have longevity and influence in the black jersey, so that’s the thing that will come from that,” Jordan spoke to The Post in September. “Try-scoring is certainly part of your role as a back three. “They don’t necessarily count stats as to how many lineouts you’ve taken or how many dominant shots you put on in other positions, so it’s a bit different in that regard.“Probably the part I find coolest about it is being up in that space and just seeing the names there. It’s kind of the who’s who of back-three players in New Zealand… guys you grew up wanting to watch.“As an All Black fan first, you always want the back three to create excitement in the game and have you on the edge of your seat, so I guess that’s something I’ve tried to emulate from those guys, to provide some energy and spark.”
2025-11-10 11:09:12