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'We call him the Ferrari for a reason, I hope he breaks that eight'
New Zealand purred their way into the Rugby World Cup final last weekend, dismissing Argentina 44-6 in Paris but not only could the winning margin have been more, tournament history should also have been witnessed in the 80th minute of the match.
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A 50:22 had earned the Kiwis a lineout throw five metres out on the left and when they attacked right, all Richie Mo’unga had to do was give the pass to the in-space Will Jordan and the All Blacks winger would have strolled in to set a new tournament-high try-scoring mark.
Instead, in a two-on-one situation near the line, Mo’unga took the ball on himself, threw a dummy in Jordan’s direction and ran into contact where he was hauled down a metre short of scoring.
Eight is the record for tries in a single tournament, a feat shared by Lomu (1999), Bryan Habana (2007) and Julian Savea (2015). Jordan came into the semi-final with five and a hat-trick featuring scores on 11, 63 and 73 minutes pulled him level with his joint history-makers.
The last-minute near miss didn’t escape the attention of fellow All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke. “I asked him straight away when I saw him and I was, ‘Did you yell at him [Mo’unga]?’ He goes, ‘No.’ We just laughed.
“We call him the Ferrari for a reason, you saw it there. He is a special player with special abilities. I really hope he breaks that eight,” he said on The Big Jim Show Live on RugbyPass TV.
The semi-final hat-trick moved Jordan onto 31 tries in 30 Test matches and leaves him primed to try and secure the World Cup record when the All Blacks take on the Springboks in Saturday’s final. “He is really cool, a great guy,” continued Clarke, paying tribute to his fellow winger.
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“He loves golf. I’m not really into golf but I get along with him, I actually just annoy him and he just handles it because he knows that me and him have been playing together since U20, came through the schools together, so I am really lucky to go alongside a guy like Will. Again, he’s a great guy, a great team man. He always puts the team first.”
Whereas Jordan has been lighting up France 2023 with his five starts featuring two tries versus Italy, two more against Uruguay, one against Ireland and three against the Pumas, Clarke’s on-field activity has amounted to just two appearances – a start versus Namibia and a run off the bench against the Uruguayans.
If he is frustrated by that situation, he wasn’t showing it when speaking to Jim Hamilton. “One of the pillars in our team is just about being yourself. Everyone is just who they are. I’m an open guy,” he explained about his squad involvement.
“To be fair, I’m pretty much the one that annoys everyone. I was sitting with Dane Coles (in the stands against Argentina) and any chance I could get I was just poking him, annoying him.
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“Everyone just accepts you as you are. In our environment it’s about being who you are, we have values that we stick to… and pretty much it’s about trying to get each other better.”
Jerome Kaino, another Big Jim Show Live guest, added about Jordan: “We all know, we’re forwards, we know the forwards put the work in and he just gets the ball,” he quipped.
“But no, he is a special individual. His record speaks for itself, what he has been able to do. When I think about what he is able to finish I look at unsung heroes like Ardie Savea, Richie Mo’unga who create the space.
“For me, there are a lot of guys who aren’t really talked about in that All Blacks team who just work, notably Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Sam Whitelock. Those boys have really been putting in the yards.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
1 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
1 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
1 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
5 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
45 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
45 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
5 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
8 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
8 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
5 Go to comments