As New Zealand head to France for the Rugby World Cup, they have one task on their mind. Win back to the World Cup which evaded them in 2019. The All Blacks had won the previous two - in 2011 and 2015 - but fell short to England in the semi-finals in Japan.
Four years on, a new squad with fresh faces has emerged, none more exciting than the prolific Will Jordan. The 25-year-old has endured his fair share of injury troubles leading into the tournament but looks primed to make his mark on the grandest stage.
Born in Christchurch, Jordan first began to make a name for himself as a teenager at Christchurch Boys’ High School, a school which has also developed All Blacks greats such as Dan Carter.
In his final year at school, Jordan scored 19 tries in 11 games to finish as the top try scorer in the UC Championship, a school-based competition. Just two years later, he would appear in his first international - the 2017 Junior World Cup - starting at full-back as New Zealand beat England in the final to win the competition.
Fresh out of school, Jordan signed provincial side Tasman Mako where he continued to make headlines with his breathtaking performances. In his first year, he won the club’s Player of the Year award and already began to attract interest from a host of Super Rugby sides.
However, the promising full-back would have to deal with the first hurdle of his career, as 2018 saw him miss eight months with an inner-ear issue which led to vertigo and vision problems.
“It was difficult to diagnose at first,” Jordan later recalled in an interview with the All Blacks. “Concussion was thrown out there, I had some neck problems and ultimately what happened was that I had this inner-ear problem that was causing me to get the balance and vision problems.
"It was definitely frustrating. I think anytime you’re out for that length of time, there are doubts and frustrating moments come through.”
Will Jordan has been a prolific try scorer in an All Blacks shirt— (Getty Images)
Having negotiated his spell on the sidelines, Jordan returned to his devastating best and eventually made the move to Super Rugby, joining the Crusaders at the end of 2018. In the three completed seasons since his arrival, the team has won three successive titles, with Jordan notching up 38 tries in just 58 games.
With such devastating finishing ability, it was not long before he received a call-up to the All Blacks, making his debut as a replacement against Australia in November 2020.
Much like his club career, Jordan would get off to a rapid start, scoring twice off the bench against Argentina in his second cap before registering five tries in his this appearance as part of a 102-0 win against Tonga.
Since those opening few games, Jordan’s electric form has continued. Playing for the All Blacks on the right wing - rather than full back where he starts for the Crusaders - Jordan has run in 23 in just 25 games for his national side. His efforts were rewarded in 2021 when he was named World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year.
Coming into a World Cup year, however, Jordan once again endured an injury-affected season having suffered a recurrence of the inner ear and migraine-related that saw him miss eight months in 2018.
Jordan has been forced to sit out another ten months from late 2022 until mid-2023, missing almost the entirety of the Super Rugby season. When he returned to the All Blacks side in July to face South Africa in the Rugby Championship, it marked his first New Zealand appearance in over ten months.
Now ready for the World Cup, the All Blacks have their try-scoring machine back ready to be unleashed once again onto the world stage. As they chase their record-breaking fourth World Cup, Jordan will be at the forefront of their plans.
