Will Jordan, Net Worth, Biography, Stats, Career Story, Records

will jordan

1. Will Jordan Quick Facts Table

Category Detail
Full Name William Thomas Jordan
Date of Birth 24 February 1998
Birthplace Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Nationality New Zealander
Height / Weight 1.88 m (6’2″) / 94 kg
Position Fullback / Wing
Current Club Crusaders (Super Rugby Pacific) / Tasman (NPC)
International Team All Blacks (New Zealand)
International Caps 56 Test caps (as of mid-2026)
Test Tries 50 tries — New Zealand’s all-time leading Test try-scorer
Rugby World Cup Appearances 2023 Rugby World Cup (top try-scorer of the tournament, 8 tries)
Notable Honor World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (2021)

2. Introduction How is Will Jordan?

Few backs in modern rugby have combined finishing instinct, gliding pace, and positional versatility quite like Will Jordan. In the space of six seasons, the Christchurch-born outside back has gone from a fringe Crusaders squad member to the All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer, surpassing a record — Doug Howlett’s 49 tries — that had stood for close to two decades.

This Will Jordan biography traces his path from a rugby-mad household in Canterbury through Christchurch Boys’ High School, the Crusaders academy, and onto the biggest stage in the sport: a Rugby World Cup final. Along the way, readers searching for Will Jordan facts, Will Jordan stats, or a breakdown of his Will Jordan club career and Will Jordan international caps will find a complete, verified picture of a player World Rugby itself has named among the finest attacking backs of his generation.

What makes Jordan’s story compelling isn’t just the try count. It’s the way he built it — through patient development in New Zealand’s provincial system, a serious injury layoff that could have derailed his career, and a knack for producing his best rugby on the sport’s biggest occasions, including a standout performance at the 2023 Rugby World Cup where he finished as the tournament’s outright top try-scorer.


3.Will Jordan  Early Life & Background

Will Jordan was born on 24 February 1998 in Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand’s South Island and a region with a long, proud rugby tradition as the heartland of Canterbury and, later, the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise.

Growing up in a city where rugby is woven into everyday community life, Jordan was drawn to the sport from a young age, playing junior grades around Christchurch before his talent for beating defenders in open space became increasingly clear. He attended Christchurch Boys’ High School, one of New Zealand’s most prolific rugby-producing schools, an institution whose alumni list reads like a who’s who of past and present All Blacks.

It was at school and club level that Jordan first showed the raw ingredients that would define his professional career: elite top-end speed, an instinctive feel for support lines, and calmness under the high ball — traits that scouts in the Canterbury rugby pathway noticed early.

Did You Know? Christchurch Boys’ High School, Jordan’s alma mater, has produced multiple All Blacks over the decades, reinforcing Canterbury’s reputation as one of New Zealand’s most productive rugby regions.


4. Will Jordan Youth & Academy Career

Jordan’s formal rise through New Zealand’s representative pathway began in earnest in his late teens. He played for Canterbury’s age-grade sides, and in 2017 he was selected for the New Zealand Under-20 team, making his first appearance for the side against Fiji Under-20 in April of that year — a first real marker of his emergence as a nationally recognized prospect.

That same year, Jordan signed with Tasman, one of New Zealand’s provincial unions, for the National Provincial Championship (NPC), and enjoyed what has been widely described as a standout debut campaign. His form for Tasman quickly caught the attention of Crusaders talent scouts, and he was brought into the Crusaders Academy, the development pipeline that has produced a disproportionate share of modern All Blacks.

Jordan’s path wasn’t entirely smooth in these early years — he was sidelined for the whole of 2018 with injury, missing out on the Crusaders’ title-winning Super Rugby campaign that year despite being on their books. It was a frustrating detour, but one that ultimately delayed rather than derailed his rise.


5. Will Jordan Club Career Timeline

Years Club Competition Notes
2016 Canterbury U19 Age-grade rugby Early representative honors
2017 Tasman NPC Debut provincial season, immediate impact
2017 New Zealand U20 U20 rugby International underage debut vs Fiji U20
2018 Crusaders Super Rugby Squad member, missed season through injury
2019–present Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific Test debut season; became first-choice fullback
2020 South Island North vs South match Started, scored a try in a 38–35 South Island win
2017–present Tasman NPC Ongoing provincial representative

Jordan made his long-awaited Crusaders debut in 2019, a year after his signing, having recovered from the injury that cost him the 2018 season. He quickly worked his way into the matchday 23 and, within a couple of seasons, had become the club’s first-choice fullback — a remarkable rise for a player who’d effectively lost a full year to injury just before establishing himself.

By 2023, Jordan had made his 50th appearance for the Crusaders and ranked among the club’s top try-scorers of the modern era, cementing his status as a cornerstone of a franchise that has been the dominant force in Super Rugby for much of the past decade. As of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, he remains with the Crusaders, continuing to split his representative commitments between the Christchurch-based Super Rugby giants and Tasman at provincial level.

Did You Know? Jordan played every minute of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa final and scored a try as the Crusaders claimed the title — part of a run of Super Rugby success that shaped him into a Test-ready player by the time the All Blacks came calling.


will jordan portrait

6. Will Jordan International Career & Test Match Record

Will Jordan made his All Blacks debut in 2020, coming into the side for the final Bledisloe Cup Test of that unusual, COVID-disrupted season, played against Australia in Brisbane. He capped off his first international season with a memorable flourish — scoring two tries in two minutes against Argentina in the All Blacks’ last Test of the year.

That was merely a preview. 2021 was the season that turned Jordan from a promising newcomer into a household name in New Zealand rugby. Playing just 11 Tests, he scored an extraordinary 15 tries — a return that made him, at the time, the second-fastest All Black in history to reach 15 Test tries. The highlight was a five-try haul against Tonga in a 102–0 rout, one shy of the all-time individual record for a single Test. He also scored twice in back-to-back matches against Fiji, crossed against Australia, and notched a hat-trick against the United States. Crucially, he also scored in a tense 19–17 win over South Africa — the 100th Test meeting between the two nations — showing he could deliver in tight, high-pressure Test matches, not just in blowout scorelines.

That remarkable 2021 form earned Jordan the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

2022 was comparatively quiet by his own new standards — four tries in nine Tests — but it set the stage for a huge 2023, in which he became the standout performer of the Rugby World Cup year for New Zealand (detailed in the next section).

Under new head coach Scott Robertson, who took over the All Blacks in 2024 after his own decorated run in charge of the Crusaders, Jordan’s influence continued unabated. In his first season under Robertson (2024), he scored seven tries in 10 Tests, including a double against Argentina (“Los Pumas”) and tries against Australia (twice), England, Ireland, and Italy. In 2025, he matched that tally with seven tries across 13 Tests, opening the July window with tries in all three Tests against France — including a brace in the first match — and adding further tries against England, Scotland, and South Africa.

By the start of 2026, Jordan needed just four more tries to break Doug Howlett’s long-standing All Blacks record of 49 Test tries. He didn’t waste time — scoring twice against France and three times against Italy (the Azzurri) early in the year to become, officially, the All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer.

As of mid-2026, Jordan’s Test record stands at 56 caps and 50 tries, a strike rate of roughly 0.85 tries per Test — one of the best scoring ratios of any back in the professional era.

Did You Know? Jordan’s strike rate of close to 0.85 tries per Test places him alongside legendary finisher Julian Savea as one of the most clinical try-scorers, relative to appearances, in modern All Blacks history.


7. Will Jordan Rugby World Cup Performances

Will Jordan’s only Rugby World Cup appearance to date came at Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, and it was a career-defining tournament. New Zealand reached the final, ultimately losing 12–11 to South Africa at the Stade de France in one of the tightest finals in the tournament’s history.

Individually, Jordan was New Zealand’s — and the entire tournament’s — standout finisher. He finished RWC 2023 as the competition’s outright leading try-scorer with 8 tries, edging out a field that included some of the world’s most feared attacking players. This was reflected in the sport’s most prestigious individual honor list: Jordan was named on the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year for 2023, selected on the wing alongside All Blacks teammates Scott Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, and Ardie Savea (who won World Rugby Player of the Year that year).

Playing across wing and fullback throughout the tournament, Jordan repeatedly punished defensive lapses with his trademark combination of anticipation, acceleration, and finishing composure, underlining why many pundits and former players had already begun describing him — even before he’d turned 26 — as one of the best fullback/wing hybrids in world rugby.


will jordan images

8. Will Jordan Playing Style & Key Skills

Jordan’s game is built around a rare blend of attributes that make him equally dangerous from fullback or on the wing:

  • Elite acceleration and top-end speed, allowing him to finish off breaks started by teammates or to counter-attack from deep.
  • Positional intelligence and support play — Jordan is renowned for reading attacking phases and arriving at the right moment to receive an offload or a pass in space, rather than relying purely on individual brilliance.
  • Composure under the high ball, a critical skill at fullback, where he is regularly tasked with defusing opposition kicking games.
  • Footwork and evasive running, enabling him to beat defenders in tight channels near the try line, not just in open space.
  • Versatility — few modern internationals move between wing and fullback as seamlessly, and Jordan’s ability to do so has made him a selection headache in the best possible way for All Blacks coaches.

Analysts and former players have frequently described him as an “understated superstar” — a player who racks up extraordinary numbers without the outward flamboyance associated with some try-scoring wingers, relying instead on precision and rugby IQ.


9. Will Jordan Major Honors & Achievements

  • All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer (50 tries, surpassing Doug Howlett’s 49, achieved in 2026)
  • World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, 2021
  • World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year, 2023
  • Top try-scorer, 2023 Rugby World Cup (8 tries)
  • Rugby World Cup 2023 finalist with New Zealand
  • Multiple Super Rugby title contributions with the Crusaders, including a try in the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa final
  • Second-fastest All Black in history to reach 15 Test tries (2021)

10. Will Jordan Rivalries & Notable Match-Ups

Jordan’s career has been shaped by New Zealand’s oldest and fiercest fixtures. His Bledisloe Cup contests against Australia have produced some of his most important tries, including multiple scores in the 2024 series under Scott Robertson. His performances against South Africa — including a try in the historic 100th Test between the sides in 2021, and his role in the tense 2023 World Cup final defeat — mark some of the highest-pressure moments of his career.

On the club front, Super Rugby Pacific derbies between the Crusaders and the Chiefs, and the traditional Crusaders–Blues rivalry, have regularly featured Jordan as a match-defining presence, given the Crusaders’ sustained dominance of the competition throughout his time at the club.


11. Will Jordan Injuries & Setbacks

Jordan’s rise has not been injury-free. He missed the entirety of the 2018 Super Rugby season with injury shortly after signing with the Crusaders, delaying his club debut by a year.

More significantly, ahead of the 2023 World Cup year, Jordan was sidelined for an extended period — reported at the time as around eight months — due to an inner-ear issue and a migraine-related condition that caused dizziness and vertigo. He returned to full fitness in time to be central to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign later that year.

In 2024, Jordan suffered a shoulder injury early in the year that required surgery, forcing him to miss the entire Super Rugby Pacific 2024 season and New Zealand’s July Test window. He returned for the 2024 Rugby Championship under new head coach Scott Robertson and quickly resumed his try-scoring form, underscoring his ability to bounce back from significant layoffs.


12. Off-the-Field Life

Will Jordan has generally kept a low public profile away from rugby, with most publicly available information about him centered on his career rather than personal life. He is known within New Zealand rugby circles for a relatively understated, low-key personality relative to the scale of his on-field achievements — a trait several rugby journalists have specifically remarked upon when covering his record-breaking try-scoring run.

Given the limited publicly confirmed detail about his personal life, this section intentionally avoids speculation on matters not verified by reputable sources.


will jordan net worth13. Will Jordan Net Worth, Endorsements & Brand

As a long-serving All Blacks Test regular and a Crusaders mainstay, Jordan is contracted through New Zealand Rugby’s centralized player payment system, which covers both his provincial, Super Rugby, and international commitments. Details of individual player contracts and sponsorship arrangements are not typically disclosed publicly by New Zealand Rugby or the Crusaders.

Net worth: Will Jordan’s personal net worth has not been publicly disclosed by any verified, reputable source. Any specific figures circulating online should be treated as unverified estimates rather than confirmed fact.


14. Will Jordan Facts for Fans

  1. Will Jordan was born in Christchurch on 24 February 1998.
  2. He attended Christchurch Boys’ High School.
  3. He missed the entire 2018 Super Rugby season through injury before making his Crusaders debut in 2019.
  4. His All Blacks debut came in the 2020 Bledisloe Cup finale against Australia in Brisbane.
  5. He scored two tries in two minutes against Argentina in his first international season.
  6. In 2021, he scored 15 tries in just 11 Tests, including 5 tries against Tonga.
  7. He won the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award in 2021.
  8. He was the top try-scorer at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with 8 tries.
  9. He was named to the World Rugby Dream Team for 2023.
  10. New Zealand reached the 2023 World Cup final, losing narrowly to South Africa.
  11. A shoulder injury forced him to miss the entire 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season.
  12. In 2026, he became the All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer, surpassing Doug Howlett’s 49-try record.
  13. As of mid-2026, he has 50 Test tries in 56 caps — a strike rate near 0.85 tries per game.

15. Comparison with Peers

Player Country Test Caps Test Tries Try Strike Rate RWC Titles
Will Jordan New Zealand ~56 50 ~0.85 0 (RWC 2023 finalist)
Damian Penaud France ~65+ ~35+ ~0.5–0.6 0
Julian Savea New Zealand 54 46 ~0.85 1 (2015)

Note: Figures for peer comparison are approximate and reflect publicly available career totals as of 2026; exact caps and tries fluctuate with ongoing matches and should be checked against official sources for the latest updates.

Jordan’s strike rate places him in the same statistical bracket as Julian Savea, one of the most feared finishers of the 2015 World Cup-winning generation, while his cap count is still climbing — meaning his final career tally, if he stays fit, has the potential to surpass most historical benchmarks in New Zealand rugby.


16. Will Jordan Legacy & Impact on Rugby

Even before the conclusion of his career, Will Jordan’s legacy is secure: he holds the all-time Test try-scoring record for the most successful international team in rugby history, a lineage that includes legends such as Doug Howlett, Jonah Lomu, and Christian Cullen. Analysts have pointed to Jordan, alongside Julian Savea, as continuing the “blueprint” established by those earlier greats — a high-tempo, aggressive outside-back game that has defined the All Blacks’ attacking identity for decades.

His versatility across wing and fullback has also influenced how coaches, including Scott Robertson, structure their back-three selections, treating Jordan as a plug-and-play weapon capable of exploiting space from either position.


17. What’s Next — Current Season/Career Outlook

Heading further into the 2026 international calendar, Jordan remains a first-choice selection for both the Crusaders and the All Blacks, continuing to add to his record-breaking try tally. With New Zealand building toward the next Rugby World Cup cycle, Jordan — still only in his late twenties — is well placed to further extend his try-scoring record and add to his single Rugby World Cup appearance with a second tournament campaign in the years ahead, injury and form permitting.


18. Frequently Asked Questions About Will Jordan

1. Who is Will Jordan?

Will Jordan is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays fullback and wing for the Crusaders and the All Blacks, and is New Zealand’s all-time leading Test try-scorer.

2. When was Will Jordan born?

He was born on 24 February 1998 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

3. What position does Will Jordan play?

He primarily plays fullback, though he is also a regular and highly effective wing.

4. How many tries has Will Jordan scored for the All Blacks?

As of mid-2026, he has scored 50 Test tries, the most in All Blacks history.

5. Did Will Jordan play in a Rugby World Cup?

Yes — he played at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, finishing as the tournament’s top try-scorer with 8 tries, as New Zealand reached the final.

6. What awards has Will Jordan won?

He won the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award in 2021 and was named to the World Rugby Dream Team of the Year in 2023.

7. Which club does Will Jordan play for?

He plays Super Rugby Pacific for the Crusaders and NPC rugby for Tasman.

8. Has Will Jordan had major injuries?

Yes — he missed the entire 2018 Super Rugby season with injury, was sidelined for around eight months before the 2023 World Cup with a migraine-related/inner-ear condition, and underwent shoulder surgery in 2024 that ruled him out of the full Super Rugby Pacific season.

9. What is Will Jordan’s try-scoring strike rate?

Roughly 0.85 tries per Test, one of the best ratios among modern international backs.

10. Is Will Jordan still playing for the All Blacks in 2026?

Yes, he remains a first-choice All Blacks selection as of 2026 and continues to add to his record try tally.


will jordan wallpaper

19. Sources & References

  • Wikipedia – [Source] , All Blacks Official Site – [Source] , Crusaders Official Site – [Source] , World Rugby Awards – [Source] , World Rugby Awards Roll of Honour – [Source] , Wikipedia —  2023 Rugby World Cup – [Source] Rugby World Cup Official Site – [Source] , Planet Rugby – [Source] , All Blacks News – [Source] , Rugby Database NZ – [Source] , Rugby365 – [Source]

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