Will Jordan achieved a new try-scoring record for the All Blacks, securing a hat-trick as the team overcame Italy 47-17 in Wellington. The match, played before a full stadium, saw the All Blacks continue their winning streak under coach Dave Rennie.
Italy initially took an early lead, with centre Tommaso Menoncello scoring the first try, converted to make it 7-0 after five minutes. This came after a missed tackle from New Zealand midfielder Billy Proctor. However, the All Blacks responded when lock Sam Darry scored, and Ruben Love converted, levelling the score at 7-7.
Despite some good attacking phases, the All Blacks experienced errors that hindered their momentum, allowing Italy to maintain pressure. The home side eventually broke through again when wing Leroy Carter passed to Jordan for his first try. The conversion put the All Blacks ahead 14-10. Shortly after, Carter left the field with what appeared to be a shoulder injury and was replaced by Josh Moorby, who made his test debut.
Second-half dominance and historic try
The first half concluded with the All Blacks holding a 14-10 lead. In the second half, Anton Segner, an uncapped loose forward from the Blues, made his debut, replacing Luke Jacobson. Segner is the first German to play for the All Blacks.
New Zealand scored first in the second half, with Moorby setting up halfback Cam Roigard for a try, converted by Love, extending the lead to 21-10. Prop Ethan de Groot then scored an unconverted try, pushing the score to 26-10.
Jordan then scored his second try, bringing his total to 49 test tries, which matched Doug Howlett‘s record. Moments later, Jordan completed his hat-trick, scoring his 50th test try against Italy, breaking the record and leading to widespread celebration among the more than 33,000 fans. Love‘s conversion made the score 40-10 with 15 minutes remaining.
During this period, Italy‘s lock Niccolò Cannone received a red card for a headbutt. Despite being a player down, Italy managed to score through replacement Leonardo Marin, reducing the deficit to 40-17. Love was briefly yellow-carded for a professional foul but was returned to the field after a TMO review.
The All Blacks scored a final try after the fulltime siren, with lock Tupou Vaa’i securing the 47-17 victory. This result marks the All Blacks‘ second win in two games under Dave Rennie. The team is scheduled to play Ireland next weekend at Auckland‘s Eden Park.
Segner’s journey to the All Blacks
Anton Segner, who made his debut in the match, was born in Frankfurt. His interest in rugby and the All Blacks began after being introduced to the sport by school friends. He joined a local club where New Zealanders coached, and he adopted various Kiwi customs, including asking his parents for pies and performing a haka at a school concert, which he learned from YouTube.
At the age of 15, Segner moved to Nelson College, a school known for producing All Blacks. He progressed through New Zealand‘s age-grade teams before earning a contract with the Auckland-based Blues in Super Rugby. Segner noted the strong rugby culture in New Zealand, comparing it to football in Germany, stating that playing for the All Blacks was a dream come true.
Segner‘s path to the All Blacks is similar to that of Fabian Holland, who was born and raised in the Netherlands. Holland was inspired by a New Zealand Sevens training camp at his local club and moved to Christchurch as a 16-year-old. He made his New Zealand debut against France in July 2025 and was recognized as World Rugby‘s breakthrough player of the year in December.
Coach Dave Rennie made five changes to his starting team following the previous weekend’s victory over France. Flanker Wallace Sititi was among the new additions, and Ruben Love continued at fly-half after his first test start in the 34-32 success in Christchurch.
Source: bbc.com
