New Zealand's Will Jordan etched his name into the annals of rugby history on Saturday, shattering the record books as he became the All Blacks' all-time leading try-scorer. The electric fullback's three tries helped his side overcome a sluggish start to defeat Italy 47-17 in the Nations Championship, taking his Test tally to an impressive 50 in just 56 matches and surpassing Doug Howlett's previous record.
The triumph in Wellington marked new head coach Dave Rennie's second consecutive win on the trot – but it was far from plain sailing. The All Blacks stuttered out of the blocks, trailing early and struggling to assert their dominance, managing only a 14-10 lead at the break after Italy's Tommaso Menoncello opened the scoring from a New Zealand turnover.
But when the second half kicked off, all hell broke loose. Jordan's first try, courtesy of Jordie Barrett's expert chip kick and Leroy Carter's lightning-quick recovery, gave the All Blacks the lead for the first time in the 30th minute – and it was just the start. The electric atmosphere erupted into chaos as New Zealand scored five tries and 33 points in the second period, with Jordan's second and third tries stealing the show.
Two debutants made a lasting impression: Josh Moorby, who came off the bench in the 31st minute, was instrumental in three of the second-half tries, including setting up Jordan's record-equalling score. And then there was Anton Segner – the first German-born player to represent the All Blacks – who burst onto the scene at half-time, with his proud parents watching on from Frankfurt.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. The All Blacks' performance was marred by a host of errors: handling mistakes, defensive lapses, aerial contests gone wrong, and discipline issues. Even Italy, who were playing with 14 men for much of the last quarter after Niccolo Cannone's attempted head-butt earned him a red card, battled bravely – scoring a second try through Leonardo Marin despite being down to 13 men.
New Zealand's Ruben Love was also sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on in the 71st minute. It was a gritty performance from Italy, who are already out of contention after losing their opening match to Japan – but it was New Zealand who celebrated a hard-fought win and a record-breaker to boot.