New Zealand rugby is on the brink of a landmark moment. Will Jordan, the Crusaders flyer who has redefined finishing in the black jersey, stands just two tries away from equalling the most storied attacking record in the All Blacks’ history: Doug Howlett’s mark of 49 Test tries. On Saturday 11 July, against Italy in Wellington, he has the chance to draw level with it — and, if the boldest predictions come true, to break it altogether.
This is everything you need to know about the record, how Jordan got here, and why the numbers suggest the wait may not be a long one. All figures are correct as of 10 July 2026.
How many Test tries does Will Jordan have?
Jordan sits on 47 Test tries after his brace in the All Blacks’ 34-32 Nations Championship win over France in Christchurch last weekend. He crossed in each half at One New Zealand Stadium, and his second try, in the 70th minute, proved decisive as New Zealand held off a late French comeback — a performance covered in our look at Will Jordan’s try record chase against France.
That double carried the 28-year-old outright into second place on New Zealand’s all-time list, past the celebrated trio of Christian Cullen, Joe Rokocoko and Julian Savea, who each finished their All Blacks careers on 46. It also moved him clear of team-mate Beauden Barrett, the only other active All Black in the top ten, who remains on 46 and is the one man who could yet turn the record chase into a two-horse race.
What is the All Blacks try-scoring record?
Doug Howlett’s 49 Test tries, scored between 2000 and 2007, have stood as the benchmark for nearly two decades. Howlett set the mark across an era that included some of the most attacking All Blacks sides ever assembled, and no one had seriously threatened it — until now.
Here is how New Zealand rugby’s all-time leading Test try-scorers line up, per official All Blacks records:
| Rank | Player | Test tries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Howlett | 49 |
| 2 | Will Jordan | 47 |
| 3= | Christian Cullen | 46 |
| 3= | Joe Rokocoko | 46 |
| 3= | Julian Savea | 46 |
| 3= | Beauden Barrett | 46 |
| 7 | Jeff Wilson | 44 |
| 8= | Ben Smith | 39 |
| 8= | Rieko Ioane | 39 |
| 10 | Jonah Lomu | 37 |
Where did Will Jordan’s try-scoring run begin?
The Christchurch-born outside back made his Test debut against Australia on 7 November 2020, becoming All Black number 1191 in a narrow 24-22 defeat. The scoring started almost immediately: a double against Argentina in a 38-0 win in the final Test of that year, then an astonishing five tries against Tonga in the 102-0 rout at Mount Smart Stadium in July 2021 — still his biggest single-match haul — followed by a hat-trick against the United States in Washington later that season.
By the end of 2021 he had been named World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year, and the tries have barely slowed since. There have been landmark scores along the way too: against Italy at the 2023 World Cup in Lyon, in the semi-final demolition of Argentina at the Stade de France, and in wins over England at Twickenham and Ireland in Dublin in late 2024. Whether picked at fullback or on the wing, the output has been remarkably constant.
Can Jordan break the record against Italy in Wellington?
The maths is simple: two tries on Saturday equals the record, three breaks it. And Jordan has been retained on the right wing for the round-two Nations Championship Test, part of an All Blacks side named to face Italy that includes two potential debutants and a 50th cap for Tyrel Lomax, as covered in our New Zealand team news round-up.
Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons is not hedging. “Will’s back to try-scoring; he’ll be on 50 soon,” Parsons said on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, as reported by RugbyPass. “He’ll get three against Italy.”
The opposition profile supports the optimism. Italy arrive in Wellington off the back of a defeat by Japan in their opening round, and Jordan has feasted on the Azzurri before — including at the 2023 World Cup in Lyon. Multiple tries in a single Test are nothing unusual for him either: five against Tonga in 2021 remains the high-water mark, and last weekend’s brace against France was merely the latest.
Why is Jordan scoring so freely under Dave Rennie?
The All Blacks’ first outing under the new coaching group led by Dave Rennie produced an attacking platform tailor-made for their finishers. Analysis on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, reported by RugbyPass, highlighted that New Zealand generated lightning-quick possession at 83 per cent of their rucks against France, chewing through metres and repeatedly releasing their back three.
Positioning matters too. Jordan spent the past two seasons predominantly at fullback, where he has scored 11 tries in 16 Test starts — a fine return by any standard. But on the wing his numbers are outrageous: a try a game across his 32 Tests there, according to RugbyPass. Restored to the right edge in Christchurch, he scored twice. Former Crusaders team-mate Bryn Hall, speaking on the same podcast, put the output down to Jordan’s relentless work off the ball and an instinct for reading play that gets him to the right place before defences react.
What would the record mean for New Zealand rugby?
Records in the black jersey carry a weight few honours in the sport can match, and the try-scoring mark is among the most romantic of them all — a line that runs from Jonah Lomu through Cullen, Rokocoko, Savea and Howlett. Jordan has reached the brink of it at 28, with a strike rate better than any of the men above him on the list.
That is the truly frightening part for the rest of the world. If Jordan passes Howlett this weekend or later in the Nations Championship, he will not merely hold the record — he will have years to put it somewhere no one can follow. With world ranking points also on the line this weekend, as set out in our guide to the world rugby rankings stakes in round two, the incentives on Saturday could hardly be better aligned.
What happens next?
New Zealand face Italy in Wellington on Saturday 11 July. Fall short of the record this weekend, and Jordan will have further Nations Championship Tests this month to finish the job. On current form, the question is less whether he passes Doug Howlett than how far beyond 49 he eventually goes.
Will Jordan try record: quick answers
How many tries does Will Jordan need to break the All Blacks record?
Two tries to equal Doug Howlett’s mark of 49, three to break it outright. He sits on 47 as of 10 July 2026.
Who holds the All Blacks Test try-scoring record?
Doug Howlett, with 49 tries scored between 2000 and 2007.
When could Jordan break the record?
His next opportunity is against Italy in Wellington on Saturday 11 July 2026, in round two of the Nations Championship.
Which active players are closest to the record?
Jordan (47) and Beauden Barrett (46) are the only active All Blacks in the all-time top ten.
