Will Jordan joins illustrious list as he equals Rugby World Cup try-scoring record

All Blacks finisher Will Jordan etched his name into the Rugby World Cup history books during their semi-final against Argentina.

New Zealand’s star winger became just the third player in the tournament’s history to score a hat-trick in a men’s World Cup semi-final.

His three tries helped the All Blacks seal their place in their fifth tournament final but also saw him equal the record for the most tries scored in a single tournament.

The 25-year-old started the match against Argentina having scored 28 times in his 29 games for the men in black, an already remarkable strike rate, but he bettered that, scoring his 29th, 30th and 31st try for his country.

💨 Just a jaw-dropping try from Will Jordan. 🤯pic.twitter.com/aesd1bjWf2

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 20, 2023

Jonah Lomu’s benchmark

Jordan now heads into the final with the opportunity to create some personal history as he has the chance to break Jonah Lomu’s record that has stood for 24 years.

Back in 1999, the late All Black great dotted down eight times in the Rugby World Cup hosted by France, England and Scotland in an incredible return.

While South Africa’s Bryan Habana matched Lomu’s eight en route to helping the Springboks lift the William Webb Ellis Cup in 2007, the record remains unbeaten.

Habana emphatically opened his account, scoring four times in his first match against Samoa and dotted down twice against the USA. He scored twice against Argentina but was unable to get his ninth score in the final.

In 2015, Julian Savea would also equal the record, scoring twice against Namibia and two against Georgia and grabbing his hat-trick against France in the quarter-finals.

As for Jordan, he was kept quiet by France in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup but opened his account in the All Blacks’ third game against Italy when he ran in two tries in the 96-17 victory.

He backed that brace up with another double against Uruguay and scored his fifth in the quarter-final victory over Ireland.

Jordan’s first try in the 11th minute against Argentina was also his 100th first-class try – including his five-pointers for Tasman, New Zealand U20s, Crusaders, South Island and the All Blacks – with the outside back forced to wait until the hour mark for his second and the 73rd minute for his third.

Most tries in single Rugby World Cup

8 – Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) in 1999
8 – Bryan Habana (South Africa) in 2007
8 – Julian Savea (New Zealand) in 2015
8 – Will Jordan (New Zealand) in 2023
7 – Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) in 1995
7 – Marc Ellis (New Zealand) in 1995
7 – Mils Muliaina (New Zealand) in 2003
7 – Doug Howlett (New Zealand) in 2003
7 – Drew Mitchell (Australia) in 2007
7 – Josh Adams (Wales) in 2019

READ MORE: All-time Rugby World Cup player stats: Tries, carries, tackles and much more