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'Star in the making': Will Jordan hype ramps up following spectacular display in Crusaders win
By Online Editors
Another stunning showing by Crusaders outside back Will Jordan has sparked a multitude of calls for the youngster to be selected in the All Blacks squad come the end of the year.
The 22-year-old flyer continued his superb form in Super Rugby Aotearoa to score a brace of tries in the Crusaders' 40-20 victory over the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday night.
Named to start on the right wing to accomodate for David Havili at fullback, Jordan was outstanding in the South Island derby as he caused numerous headaches for the hosts with his constant attacking exploits.
His efforts were reflected in his statistics from the fixture, which read 127 running metres, 10 defenders beaten, four clean breaks and two offloads to complement his two tries.
Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of his display came in the final minute of the match, when he scored a scintillating try from a chip and chase that spanned more than 70 metres of the field.
Jordan's spellbinding performances wasn't lost on fans and pundits on Twitter, who joined a rapidly-growing chorus of spectators who believe the former New Zealand U20 star warrants selection in Ian Foster's first All Blacks squad of the year.
Jordan's pair of tries puts him on 14 tries in just 15 Super Rugby outings, which will make it incredibly difficult for Foster to leave the Tasman Mako product out of the national squad come the end of the year.
The All Blacks are expected to play a four-match Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies between October and November, which could be Jordan's induction into international rugby.
He has competition for spots in the outside back ranks, though, with Blues youngster Caleb Clarke one of the other standout stars in Super Rugby Aotearoa who is yet to make his test debut.
Together, the uncapped duo are up against the likes of Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece, George Bridge, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett and David Havili for a place in the outside back contingent, which will likely consist of around five or six players.
Given how Jordan is tracking, however, it would be borderline inconceivable for him to miss out on place in the Bledisloe Cup series, and it seems he has the full backing of the New Zealand public to be selected for the All Blacks in the coming months.
Jordan and the Crusaders will now turn their attention to next week's top-of-the-table clash against the Blues, with both sides yet to taste defeat in the Kiwi domestic league ahead of their meeting in Christchurch on Saturday.
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Latest Comments
To be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
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