New Zealand star Will Jordan is so good, he doesn’t even need teammates according to World Cup winner Bryan Habana, after the flying winger lit up the first weekend of the Autumn Nations Series.
Fresh off a dominant victory against the USA the previous week, the All Blacks scored seven tries in a 54-16 victory over Wales at Principality Stadium to kick off their Autumn Nations Series in style.
Jordan, 23, scored one try in Cardiff, to go with the three he scored against USA the previous week and five he scored against Tonga earlier in the year – taking his international try tally to a mammoth 16 in just 11 appearances.
And speaking on The Scrum, where he dissects all the latest action on the official Autumn Nations Series Youtube channel, Haban admitted he was in awe of the young superstar.
He said: “That All Blacks machine just looks unstoppable at the moment and a guy who has been unstoppable not only for the Crusaders but also the All Blacks has been Will Jordan.
“When you score tries that involve such phenomenal individual brilliance, I think you want to ask: does he even need teammates?
“Sixteen tries in only 11 Test matches on the international stage, that is something to behold and to think he’s only getting started.”
While Jordan is still fairly inexperienced on the international stage, fly-half Beauden Barrett became just the 11th man to make 100 appearances for New Zealand.
The 30-year-old scored two superb tries against Wales and was also singled out for praise by former rival Habana.
Habana said: “Having made his debut back in 2012 ,many were of the opinion that he would have to bide his time in the wings behind the irreplaceable Dan Carter, but Beauden Barrett has become a true legend in his own right.
“Richie McCaw, Keven Mealamu, Sam Whitelock, Kieran Read, Daniel Carter – what a list to be a part of, and not only did Beauden Barrett become the 11th test centurion for the All Blacks, he did it in the most insane Man of the Match performance ever!
“Two scintillating intercept tries – which, to be honest, I’m extremely proud of – but it had vision, it had skill and it had raw, raw pace.”
New Zealand will take on Italy this weekend, whilst Wales will hope to rebound from their defeat when they host South Africa.
Habana said: “Even with all those Welsh supporters singing harmoniously at the Principality it was a rather unfortunate afternoon.
“Outside, Johnny McNicholl showed some really incredible touches, deft touches which will hopefully give youngsters like Louis Rees-Zammit just that little push.
“The Springboks’ recent travels to the Principality have unfortunately ended up in defeat, losing four times in their last four appearances. Given the fact they beat Wales in the semi-final of the Rugby World Cup in 2019, they will be looking to turn the tide on a Welsh side that will be looking to bounce back from that heavy defeat against the All Blacks.”
The only other match last weekend saw Scotland prevail 60-14 against Tonga in a highly impressive display.
Habana was impressed with Scotland’s performance at BT Murrayfield last weekend and believes they can upset the Wallabies on Sunday.
He said: “Scotland showed exactly how to use home ground advantage. In his first start in a Scotland jersey, it was Kyle Steyn scoring not one, not two, not three but four tries on debut. That is insane!
“Rufus McLean, another extremely talented youngster that’s been given the nod under Gregor Townsend, has shown that he looks extremely comfortable on the international stage.
“Scotland vs Australia: when these two teams meet we are always in for some proper entertainment. A few Australian big-name players will unfortunately not be showing their face across the Autumn Nations Series and that might give Scotland a little bit of impetus to go one better and get the win.”
