There have been some phenomenal players in the history of English Rugby. England have had some incredible try scorers in its history, including guys like Chris Ashton, Jason Robinson and Will Greenwood. But only one man has the record for the most tries.
Who is the top try scorer for England rugby all time? Rory Underwood is the top try scorer for England Rugby all time. He holds the record with 49 tries, which is 14 more than any other player. Johnny May is the player in second place with 35.
On this day in 1990 Rory Underwood became the leading men's Test try scorer for England, scoring in our 23-0 win over Ireland at Twickenham.
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 20, 2022
He would go on to score 49 tries for his country 👏 pic.twitter.com/kw4XvtZ3Ks
Rory Underwood is still the top try scorer in English Rugby history. Across his 12 year international career, Underwood was able to rack up 49 tries in 85 caps. This is an incredibly impressive record that has not been beaten despite Underwood retiring from international rugby in 1996.
Despite being England’s top try scorer of all time, a lot of people might not have heard of Rory Underwood. Born in Middlesbrough, Underwood is actually one of the greatest wingers in international rugby history. He made his debut for his country in 1984, playing against Ireland at Twickenham.
He would play for England for an incredible 12 years, being one of the most consistent players in the team. In fact, by the time he retired in 1996, Underwood was the record appearance maker for England. This record was later overtaken by Jason Leonard.
But his record for tries is still yet to be overtaken. Underwood scored tries in the 1987, 1991 and 1995 Rugby World Cups. He was also part of the England team that won the Grand Slam in 1992 and 1995. He was capable of playing on either wing and even played for the British and Irish Lions.
It does not look like anyone is going to break Underwood’s record anytime soon. The closest man to the record at the moment is Johnny May who is in second. May is still 14 tries behind Underwood and at the moment it does not look like he is going to add to that record anytime soon. May is not currently in the England team and so can’t currently beat the record.
Anthony Watson and Ben Youngs are the other two current players in the top ten, but neither look close to breaking the record. Youngs is still 29 tries behind and his international career is coming to an end. Watson has slightly more chances as he is only 29 years old at the time of writing, but is still 26 tries behind Underwood’s record.
It shows just how good of a player Underwood was that no one has really gotten close to breaking the record since.
Who has scored the most tries in the Six Nations?
The Six Nations is an iconic competition and there have been some phenomenal try scorers in the history of the tournament. There is one Irishman who is the record try scorer in the Six Nations.
Brian O’Driscoll is the top try scorer in Six Nations history. O’Driscoll has scored 26 tries, which is two more than Ian Smith who is in second place. O’Driscoll is an Irish legend, having won the Six Nations twice, including a Grand Slam in 2009.
His try scoring in the Six Nations is partly why O’Driscoll has been named Six Nations Player of the Year three times. He was a key part of Ireland’s attack for more than a decade, able to glide past defenders with ease which is what helped him become the greatest try scorer in the competition’s history.
O’Driscoll’s record is actually under quite serious threat due to George North. North is just three tries behind O’Driscoll and has not given any indication as to whether he will retire after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. If North has just one more year, he could easily break the record and become the tournament’s top try scorer.
Who is the All Blacks top try scorer?
New Zealand being the most iconic international rugby team in rugby history means there have been a lot of iconic try scorers. But there is one man just above the rest.
Doug Hewlett is the top try scorer in the history of the All Blacks. The former New Zealand winger has scored a whopping 49 tries in the 62 games he played for his country. This is three more than Julian Savea, Christian Cullen and Joe Rokocoko who are all tied for second.
Howlett actually only played rugby for New Zealand for seven years, making his debut in 2000. It was a hat-trick at the 2007 Rugby World Cup that meant he caught up with Cullen’s previous record. A try against Scotland gave him the record.
Howlett could have extended his international record further, but at just 29 years old, Howlett made a brave decision to end his international career by joining Irish province Munster. Howlett would go on to become a Munster legend and worked for the province after he retired.
Beauden Barrett is the man most likely to break the record. He is currently on 41 tries, with at least 10 more games in his international career. It would be an incredibly challenging feat for Barrett but one that he could still possibly achieve.
Who is the top try scorer for Wales all time?
Wales have had some incredibly exciting players in their past, but one man stands above the rest when it comes to try scoring.
Shane Williams is the top try scorer for Wales all-time. In a brilliant and spectacular career, Williams scored 58 tries in just 87 games. This is 0.67 tries per game. Williams is undoubtedly one of the best players in Welsh rugby history.
Williams made his international debut in 2000 after impressive performances for the Ospreys. Williams would become a mainstay of the Welsh team, even though he began his career as a scrum half before moving out to the wing.
A former IRB Player of the Year, Williams always found space to score a try and his record looks incredibly unlikely to be beaten at any point moving forwards.