Will Jordan will be ‘A new sensation’
Tipped for greatness and compared to Ben Smith – Laurie Mains, Christian Cullen and Scott Robertson weigh in on new All Black. By Robert van Royen.
WILL Jordan could go on to be one of the greatest players to pull on the black jersey, former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains predicts.
‘‘I think Will Jordan is going to be a sensation. And I like the fact that he is not being rushed in too fast, but he has clearly got everything. I amexcited by him. I think he could be one of the greats,’’ Mains enthused.
He made the bold statement to Sunday News this week when dissecting the All Blacks’ tremulous 2020 campaign under new coach Ian Foster, singling Jordan out as a shining light.
The ‘‘great’’ tag is tossed about all too often these days, but when someone who coached Jonah Lomu with the national side between 1992-95 makes the assessment, it shouldn’t be dismissed as a throwaway line.
Jordan certainly was the hot topic in the aftermath of the All Blacks’ season-saving 38-0 spanking of the Pumas last Saturday.
The 22-year-old Christchurch product, playing in just his second test, came off the bench midway through the second half and scored twice in amatter of minutes to help his side ease clear.
Both tries were long-range intercepts – one scooped off the deck and the otherwell plucked out of the air – and finished with his dazzling speed.
Some might say it was all luck. Right place, right time. But not Christian Cullen, arguably the best All Blacks fullback of all time.
He’s seen Jordan make similar plays enough times for both the Tasman Mako and the Crusaders to know there’s more to it.
‘‘Good players have a knack of knowing where to be and being in the right place at the right time. I reckon he is one of those guys,’’ Cullen said.
‘‘You need a bit of luck, right? Because you need the rugby ball to bounce in funny ways sometimes, but I think a lot of it is instinct.
‘‘He pops up for a loose ball or a pass. He certainly knows how to score tries. He’s got it all, doesn’t he?’’
Jordan’s brace was a ‘‘told you so’’ performance for those who have been calling for the former Canterbury under-17 cricket representative to be givenminutes for the All
Blacks this season.
His debut – against the Wallabies in Brisbane – lasted just five minutes due to a head knock, and there was disappointment among some fans when he wasn’t awarded a first test start last weekend.
The silky-skilled Jordan eventually replaced Jordie Barrett on the right wing, but the former Christchurch Boys’ High School gun’s preferred position is fullback.
He played the bulk of Super Rugby Aotearoa there with David Havili injured, excelling under the high ball and flashing with his electric running game.
‘‘I don’t know. They’re pretty similar now, they pretty much work in tandem. They [All Blacks] like that kind of fullbackwing, rather than a specialist wing,’’ Cullen said when asked where Jordan is best suited.
Cullen’s intrigued by where Crusaders coach Scott Robertson plays him next season, given midfield Braydon Ennor will miss the SRA campaign and wing George Bridge half of it.
That could force David Havili into the midfield, allowing Jordan to continue at the back, with Leicester Fainga’anuku and Sevu Reece on the wings.
‘‘He’s got all the attributes, the height, the speed, the size. I think the more game time he gets he’s going to get better,’’ Cullen said.
‘‘He’s quite a big unit. Any outside back, you want them to have speed and the skill and the courage to have a go. And he’s got all of that.’’ To think
Jordan, who last year rebuffed offers from the Blues andHighlanders and signed with the Crusaders through 2022, missed his entire rookie season in 2018 with an inner-ear problem, which caused vertigo and issues with his vision.
Finally healthy and ready to play for the team he grew up dreaming of representing, Jordan scored eight tries in nine appearances (five starts) last season, when he missed time with a foot injury, and eight more in 10 appearances (eight starts) this year.
‘‘He’s got extreme acceleration and his anticipation of the game is incredible,’’ Robertson said.
‘‘It’s quite easy to start comparing, but you feel he’s a bit of a Ben Smith, don’t you? That someone who has a bit of utility factor. World-class fullback foremost, with his hands and his boot. And just in the right place he creates a lot, he’s important to us.’’
The makeup of the All Blacks’ back three next year – and beyond – is sure to spark endless debate and cause selection headaches.
Is there room for wing Bridge when he returns from his chest injury with Caleb Clarke’s emergence?
Should Beauden Barrett be at fullback, or should Jordie
Barrett or Jordanwear the 15 jersey?
What about Reece, who was first-choice right-wing last year, butwas barely used in Foster’s first year in charge?
‘‘It’s going to be interesting next year how that battle unfolds,’’ Cullen said, adding he would prefer Jordie Barrett at fullback over the right wing.
‘‘I thought he was outstanding at fullback this year for the Hurricanes. But like all players theywant to get out on the field and do what’s best for the team. But I like him at fullback ... he was amassive difference there at fullback.’’