Will Jordan equals World Cup record but team-mate denies him Jonah Lomu accolade

20 October 2023 , 21:46

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Will Jordan scored a hat-trick in the semi-final

Will Jordan scored a World Cup semi-final hat-trick for New Zealand to leave him with eight tries - equalling a tournament record.

The Crusaders winger scored in last weekend's quarter-final win over Ireland and also notched four in the pool stages, meaning his haul has matched the highest in World Cup history. The likes of Bryan Habana, Julian Savea and Jonah Lomu all crossed eight times in previous tournaments.

Jordan's treble against Argentina capped a sensational performance that saw All Blacks ease to a 44-6 win. The 25-year-old has a sensational strike rate in the black jersey, but may be left cursing team-mate Richie Mo'unga.

The fly-half, who will be ineligible for selection after the World Cup due to his decision to play in Japan, opted not to pass to Jordan late in the game when his winger had the line at his mercy. He had a simple two-on-one but chose not to throw the pass and went himself, before being stopped close to the line.

It would've been a walk-in for Jordan to score his fourth try and only three men have ever scored hat-tricks in a semi-final - Lomu in 1995 and Adam Ashley-Cooper for Australia in 2015. Lomu however famously scored four as the All Blacks hammered England in Cape Town.

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Jordan could've matched the New Zealand icon, but instead was left on three. Mo'unga immediately clocked his error and when the game came to a stop was seen holding his hand up in apology.

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All Blacks boss Ian Foster joked that his fly-half didn't throw the pass in order to keep Jordan primed for the final in eight days time. "I don't know anything about that, but maybe Richie wanted to keep him hungry for next week," he joked.

Jordie Barrett, who also crossed for a try, was part of the group that suffered semi-final heartbreak four years ago but was thrilled to have gone one better as they look to emulate the group of 2015, some of whom are still present in the current squad.

He told ITV: "It's so sweet. It's new territory for this group. We slipped at the semi-final hurdle four years ago. I am just so proud of this group. It's not done yet. We will have a very tough match regardless of who we have next week. It's another week, which we are so grateful for."

Samuel Meade