Will Jordan is something of a bête noire for Irish rugby, a sentiment expressed as a backhanded compliment. It’s not that he’s dislikable as a person, far from it, but from a parochial perspective the New Zealander has an unhappy knack of scoring tries against Ireland teams, from his underage days right through his senior career.
The 27-year-old All Black has a phenomenal strike-rate in senior international rugby, 43 tries in 50 Tests, and is equally devastating at fullback or the right wing, positions he switches with ease, occasionally within a match.
His introduction to Ireland teams came in a pool match at the 2017 Under-20 World Championship. New Zealand beat Ireland 69-3 in Kutaisi, Georgia, with Jordan scoring three of his team’s 11 tries. Another player who might feature for the All Blacks on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago, fellow winger Caleb Clarke, also crossed for a hat-trick that day.
In terms of Andy Farrell’s current squad, Ireland captain Caelan Doris, Ciarán Frawley and Rónan Kelleher have first-hand experience of that day eight years ago. New Zealand went on to thrash England in the final, while the Ireland, who lost all three pool matches, rallied to defeat Samoa and hosts Georgia to finish ninth.
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Jordan’s talent has been evident from his days in Christchurch Boys High School, through a couple of seasons with the Tasman Makos that earned him a professional contract with the Crusaders in 2019, for whom he has scored 47 tries in 66 matches. Ireland backs coach Andrew Goodman played a part in Jordan’s development as a player while both were in Canterbury.
Jordan made his New Zealand debut off the bench against Australia in November 2020, and his try-scoring Test exploits began in the very next game against Argentina when he crossed for a brace. He first encountered Ireland at senior level in the summer of 2022 when Farrell’s side played three Tests against New Zealand and two matches against the Maori All Blacks.
Having missed the first Test, won by New Zealand, Jordan returned the following week where he enjoyed a 31-minute cameo off the bench that included scoring a late try, but it failed to prevent Ireland from prevailing 23-12.
He was named in the starting team for the series decider, won by Ireland 32-22, and there was little consolation in scoring the try of the game, a brilliant individual effort from his own 22. Jordan would have his revenge when he next faced Ireland in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final at the Stade de France.
In a subsequent interview he provided some interesting detail into how the All Blacks changed their defence earlier in the season specifically to deal with Ireland. He explained: “We went from being quite an aggressive up-and-in, line-speed team where they were just picking us off with their short passing, [Johnny] Sexton wrapping around, and we just couldn’t defend it.
“We went from that to more of a push connected, give them a five-metre bend, but not let them breach us. When we first came into camp, it took a little while for everyone to buy into it. It was quite a big change right before the World Cup.
“Anyway, we ended up buying into it, and it was massively critical in that game. I think we leaked 21 points or whatever, but for the most part, we were reasonably resolute around our defensive game.
“That was summed up by those last 37 phases, or however many it was. The first 25 of that felt pretty good; they were around halfway, not really going anywhere too far, so we were feeling pretty confident about what’s going on. Then, 25 to 32, they’re probably around 30 out, and you’ve made about four tackles each. You’re like, okay, this is starting to get a little bit untidy.
“Then, you get to like, 34 to 37, I think Bundee [Aki] made a bit of a half-breach, and now they’re like 10 out. You’re like f**k, this is ... someone do something! A little bit of stress came in at that point.
“Then good ol’ Sammy Whitelock got on the ball. It was quite cool, where the game finished, in the 22, was right in front of where all our families were sitting in the stand. So, a lot of Kiwi support there, right in that corner. So, just a great moment, a tight game, World Cup, certainly a special memory.”
Jordan scored eight tries in the tournament, including one against Ireland, as the All Blacks reached the final where they were beaten by the Springboks. He maintained his try-a-game record against Ireland in November 2024 at the Aviva Stadium, this time in the 15 jersey, his late effort helping the All Blacks to a 23-13 win.
Only once in his Test career has Jordan gone four matches without scoring a try. He hasn’t crossed the whitewash in his last three internationals. On empirical evidence the green jersey has proved to be a welcome sight for Jordan in the past when it comes to try-scoring, a run he’ll be keen to extend on Saturday in Chicago.
