Nations Championship rugby: Will Jordan breaks New Zealand try-scoring record in 47-17 victory over Italy
Jordan scores hat-trick to become New Zealand's all-time leading try scorer as 50th try in 56 Tests takes him past Doug Howlett; All Blacks have two wins from two at start of Nations Championship; France also won on Saturday, achieving a record victory in Australia, winning by 16 points
Saturday 11 July 2026 11:52, UK
Will Jordan scored a hat-trick and became New Zealand's all-time leading try-scorer in their 47-17 victory over Italy in the Nations Championship in Wellington.
The 28-year-old moved past Doug Howlett with his 50th try in just his 56th Test as New Zealand picked up their second straight win in the competition under new boss Dave Rennie.
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Italy started quickly and opened the scoring through Tommaso Menoncello but New Zealand hit back through Sam Darry and then started to pull away courtesy of efforts from Cam Roigard, Ethan de Groot and Tupou Vaa'i alongside Jordan's hat-trick.
"It's special I guess," said Jordan, speaking after the game to Stan Sport. "I think back to when I was a kid, practising my chip and chase in the back yard, to think I'd be here today, it's hugely humbling.
"I guess as a winger you're on the end of the chain sometimes. I've been a part of some great teams over the last seven years and I guess, in turn, I hope I've inspired a few kids to practice chip and chase in the back yard to dream big."
New Zealand scored five tries and 33 points after half-time to make the win comfortable, following a disappointing first half where they were rushed into errors by Italy's flat and physical defence.
Menoncello opened the scoring with a try from an All Blacks turnover and, though New Zealand responded within five minutes with a try to lock Sam Darry, Italy denied New Zealand space and possession as the home team limped to half-time with a 14-10 lead.
Jordan's first try from a chip kick by Jordie Barrett and a skilful recovery by Leroy Carter gave New Zealand the lead for the first time and against the run of play in the 30th minute.
"I think we started really well and we were putting them under pressure," Italy captain Michele Lamaro said. "They were trying to compete around the breakdown and we were really strong in that area.
"They came back on the field after half-time with another gear and we couldn't hold them."
The visitors had their backs against the wall after Niccolo Cannone was sent off for a headbutt and suffered their second successive defeat following their loss to Japan last week.
In spite of the one-man disadvantage, Italy scored their second try through Leonardo Marin in the 57th minute.
Moorby stars on debut to help Jordan break record
Jordan may have stolen the headlines but he had debutant Josh Moorby to thank for it, with the 28-year-old playing a prominent role in all three tries after coming off the bench to make his Test debut in the 31st minute.
Backrower Anton Segner came on at half-time for his debut, to become the first player born in Germany to play for the All Blacks. His parents flew from Frankfurt to be present for the occasion.
Moorby broke off the left wing and combined with his Hurricanes team-mate, scrum half Roigard, to score two minutes after the resumption. He then won an intercept and went close to scoring before prop De Groot crashed over for a try in his 42nd test.
Finally Moorby outpaced the cover defence to set up Jordan's second try which equalled the All Blacks record set by Howlett. Jordan then had the record on his own when he scored his third try in the 54th minute, from Barrett's quick thinking at a tapped penalty.
France produce stirring second-half comeback inAustralia
Debutant Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored twice as France put six tries past Australia in an impressive 42-26 Nations Championship victory in Brisbane.
The Wallabies lost a game after leading at half-time for the second successive week as France achieved their biggest-ever win Down Under and their fourth consecutive over Australia.
Romain Ntamack orchestrated a big comeback as Emmanuel Meafou, Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe all joined Grandidier Nkanang on the scorer's list for France, whilst Jeremy Williams' late try saw Australia pick up a bonus point following earlier scores from Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Fraser McReight, who notched a brace.
The French led twice in the first half but trailed 21-12 at the break against a Wallabies lineup that used a one-man advantage to score two tries while Meafou was sidelined for 10 minutes for a yellow card.
But three tries in a seven-minute span, including two when Australian full-back Tom Wright was on the sidelines for a yellow card, swung momentum fully in favour of the back-to-back Six Nations champions.
France, on the rebound from a tournament-opening 34-32 loss to New Zealand, scored 30 consecutive points in a dominating performance after half-time before Australia crossed in the 76th minute for a consolation try.
In an eventful first half for Meafou, who grew up in Australia before moving to France to pursue a professional contract, he scored the opening try in the third minute and also received the yellow card.
Australia responded six minutes later following a trick lineout move involving hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa throwing to scrum half Ryan Lonergan at the front, getting the return pass and starting the movement that finished with him scoring.
France went ahead again in the 18th when Grandidier Nkanang beat rookie Australian fly-half Duncan Meredith in the chase for Ntamack's perfectly-weighted stab kick into the left corner from 30 metres out.
In the 25th, with France leading 12-7, Meafou was carded for making head-on-head contact with Australian backrower Rob Valentini and that gave the Wallabies extra space to attack.
Fraser McReight scored twice in the 10 minutes with a one-man advantage, both from close-range.
The Australian flanker also saved a try just before half-time when he beat a flying Matthieu Jalibert in a race for the ball into the in-goal.
The second half was one-way, with the burst of scoring starting in the 49th when the French used numbers out wide and Jalibert kicked wide for an unmarked winger Grandidier Nkanang to score in the corner.
France took the lead with a solo try from Ntamack, who ran down the short side from about 22 metres out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle in the 52nd, and conversion from skipper Maxime Lucu.
The French kept applying the pressure and turned big advantages in possession and territory into points before the result was beyond Australia's reach.
France will travel to Tokyo to play Japan next week. The Wallabies, after the 33-31 loss to Ireland in the first round and the big defeat to France, will go to Perth to take on Italy in a bid to break a six-Test losing streak.
