The 'phenomenon' who is about the break Keith Wood's front row try scoring record and his incredible strike rate
Ireland legend Keith Wood is preparing for trying scoring “phenomenon” Joe Taufete’e, the USA Eagles hooker, to write him out of the rugby history books.
Taufete’e faces Romania in Bucharest on Saturday, needing just two more tries to join Wood, the former Ireland and Lions star, as the highest scoring front row forward in world rugby history. While Wood took 63 tests in Irish and Lions colours over nine years to amass 15 tries, Taufete’e has already collected 13 tries in just 17 appearances for the USA Eagles – an incredible success rate.
Taufete’e, the 26-year-old Worcester Warriors hooker, helped the Eagles to their first-ever win over Samoa in San Sebastian in Spain last Saturday when Will Hooley’s long range penalty gave them a 30-29 victory and has retained his place against Romania to win his 18th cap. Taufete’e scored his 13th international try against Samoa and if he can grab at try in Bucharest, the final test of the Eagles’ Autumn series will take Taufete’e to Dublin to face Ireland where he could equal the record on Wood’s home turf on November 24.
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Wood said: “I never thought my try scoring record would last this long and that has been a real surprise to me. Joe is a phenomenon and to have scored that many tries in such a short time is remarkable and I am not going to be in the records for much longer. I won’t be able to be at the Aviva Stadium for the USA game but I will make sure I am watching and I hope he does get to 15 then or even breaks the record. The role of the hooker has changed over the years and to take on all the responsibilities of the position and also be such a regular try scorer really is impressive.”
The strongly built 19st hooker only made his international debut three years ago against South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup having first picked up a rugby ball for the Belmont Shore RFC U19 team. He spent a year in New Zealand prior to the 2015 World Cup with Otorohanga RFC in Waikato, before earning a professional contract at USA PRO Rugby’s San Diego Breakers. Then came the offer to move to the Premiership with Worcester where his ball carrying has made him a fan’s favourite.
The USA Eagles, who are coached by former Warriors Head Coach Gary Gold, are in the same pool as England at next year’s World Cup in Japan and are currently operating without the injured AJ McGinty the Sale outside half. Gold was delighted with the win over Samoa and said: “There is no doubt the Samoans gave us a good fight in every minute of our test last week. While we are happy to have achieved the result we did, we know there are many factors of our performance that must be tightened up against Romania. The Romanian crowd will be incredibly vocal for their home side and that in and of itself will present an added factor for us to overcome this Saturday.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
What ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
129 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
129 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
129 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
129 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
129 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
129 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
129 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
129 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
129 Go to commentsHo hum.
129 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
129 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
129 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
129 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
129 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
129 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
129 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
129 Go to comments