Rugby
The Best New Zealand Rugby Union Wingers
Daisuke Ohata is the all-time top Test rugby try-scorer. Bryan Habana and Jonah Lomu are the equal top try scorers at Rugby World Cups. All three played on the wing. These are the best New Zealand Rugby wingers in history.
New Zealand rugby has a long history of scintillating attacking players. Blessed with skill and pace, the All Blacks have blitzed many teams, piling on the points thanks to their cutting-edge tactics and world-class backs. John Kirwin, Jeff Wilson, Jonah Lomu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Israel Dagg, Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan, et al. The list could go on forever.
Lomu is one of the all-time top Rugby World Cup (RWC) try scorers. He scored fifteen tries at two World Cups. The Kiwis have two more players on the top 10 list of World Cup try scorers: Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. SportsBoom went through the archives and has compiled a top 10 list of the best New Zealand Rugby wingers.
Jonah Lomu in New Zealand v France X//Getty
Top 10 List of the Best New Zealand Rugby Wingers
| Rank | Player | Position | Tests | Tries | Career |
| 1 | Doug Howlett | Right Wing | 62 | 49 | 2000-2007 |
| =2 | Julian Savea | Left Wing | 54 | 46 | 2012-2017 |
| =2 | Joe Rokocoko | Left Wing | 68 | 46 | 2003-2010 |
| 4 | Jeff Wilson | Right Wing | 60 | 44 | 1993-2001 |
| 5 | Jonah Lomu | Left Wing | 63 | 37 | 1994-2002 |
| 6 | Rieko Ioane** | Left Wing | 73 | 36* | 2016- |
| 7 | John Kirwin | Right Wing | 63 | 35 | 1984-1994 |
| 8 | Will Jordan | Right Wing | 32 | 31* | 2020- |
| 9 | Sitiveni Sivivatu | Left Wing | 45 | 29 | 2005-2011 |
| 10 | Stuart Wilson | Right Wing | 34 | 19 | 1977-1983 |
Who are the Top 10 Try Scorers in New Zealand Rugby?
Wingers make up most of the top 10 try scorers in New Zealand Rugby Union history. Half of the top ten All Blacks try scorers were not out-and-out wingers. Doug Howlett is tied for seventh among the all-time leading try scorers in rugby test matches. Julian Savea, Christian Cullen, and Joe Rokocoko are equal tenth.
Beauden Barrett and Jeff Wilson are equal thirteenth. At the same time, Ben Smith is the seventeenth-highest try scorer in international rugby union. Howlett leads the way with 49 Test tries. Barrett (44), however, will pass Howlett by the end of 2024 if he keeps up his try-scoring strike rate.
Top 10 List of Try Scorers in New Zealand Rugby History
| Rank | Player | Position/s | Tests | Tries | Career |
| 1 | Doug Howlett | Right Wing | 62 | 49 | 2000-2007 |
| =2 | Julian Savea | Left Wing | 54 | 46 | 2012-2017 |
| =2 | Christian Cullen | Fullback | 58 | 46 | 1996-2002 |
| =2 | Joe Rokocoko | Left Wing | 68 | 46 | 2003-2010 |
| =5 | Beauden Barrett | Flyhalf/Fullback/Wing | 128 | 44* | 2012- |
| =5 | Jeff Wilson | Right Wing | 60 | 44 | 1993-2001 |
| 7 | Ben Smith | Fullback/Wing/Centre | 84 | 39 | 2009-2019 |
| 8 | Jonah Lomu | Left Wing | 63 | 37 | 1994-2002 |
| 9 | Rieko Ioane | Centre/Wing | 73 | 36* | 2016- |
| 10 | Tana Umaga | Centre | 74 | 36 | 1997-2005 |
Rieko Ioane (36) is the only other active player on the top 10 list of All Blacks try scorers. Ioane might pass Howlett if he plays a few more years of international rugby. Savea is tied for second (46) with Cullen and Rokocoko. Barrett is two behind, tied fifth with Wilson. The All Blacks playmaker will pass them all in 2024 if he stays fit.
Smith (39) and Jonah Lomu (37) sit in seventh and eighth, respectively, but Ioane will pass the two Kiwi legends in 2024; it is only a matter of time. Tana Umaga is tied-tenth with Ioane, one ahead of Kirwin (35). Will Jordan (33) is hot on both their heels and will pass both Kiwi greats in 2024 if he stays injury-free.
New Zealand-Canada: Quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup in 1991//Getty
New Zealand Rugby World Cup-Winning Wingers
New Zealand has a culture of winning. They are the most successful rugby nation of all time. The All Blacks have won three Rugby World Cup titles (1987, 2011 & 2015) and finished second twice (1995 & 2023). New Zealand has only failed to reach the semifinal once (2007) in eleven RWC tournaments. The All Blacks have won twenty Rugby Championship titles, the most in the Southern Hemisphere. These are the All Blacks RWC champion wingers.
1987 New Zealand Rugby World Cup-Winning Wingers
John Kirwin and Craig Green were the two World Cup-winning wings when the Kiwis beat France to claim the first-ever RWC on home soil in 1987. Despite being the best team in the world for decades, New Zealand struggled to reach another RWC final for twenty-four years. The drought ended when New Zealand hosted a second RWC in 2011.
List of New Zealand World Cup-winning Wingers
| Wings | Position | Rugby World Cup |
| Craig Green | Left Wing | 1987 |
| John Kirwin | Right Wing | 1987 |
| Cory Jane | Left & Right Wing | 2011 |
| Richard Kahui | Left & Right Wing | 2011 |
| Zac Guildford | Left Wing | 2011 |
| Israel Dagg | Right Wing | 2011 |
| Hosea Gear | Wing | 2011 |
| Julian Savea | Left Wing | 2015 |
| Nehe Milner-Skudder | Right Wing | 2015 |
| Waisake Naholo | Left & Right Wing | 2015 |
| Beauden Barrett* | Right Wing | 2015 |
2011 New Zealand Rugby World Cup-Winning Wingers
In 1987, the All Blacks edged France 8-7 to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy a second time. Zac Guildford, Cory Jane, and Richard Kahui were the three wingers in the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. Jane and Kahui played most of the matches during the tournament. They started and finished the final.
Sonny Bill Williams and Isaia Toeava also featured on the wings during the campaign. However, Williams was selected as a centre, and Toeava as a utility back. Hosea Gear was called to the squad for the semifinal but did not play. He was awarded the RWC winners medal despite not playing a game.
Josevata Rokocoko in New Zealand v Australia - 2009 Tri Nations
2015 New Zealand Rugby World Cup-Winning Wingers
Four years later, the All Blacks defended their title in England. They beat Australia 34-19 in the final to become the first team to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups. Waisake Naholo, Nehe Milner-Skudder, and Julian Savea were selected as New Zealand’s wings for the 2015 showpiece event.
Milner-Skudder and Savea played two of the four group games as a partnership. Both rested one match, with Naholo playing twice. Milner-Skudder and Savea played all the knockout fixtures, including the final. Beauden Barrett replaced Milner-Skudder in all three knockout matches. Savea was never replaced.
Richard Kahui in New Zealand v Japan - IRB RWC 2011 Match 13//Getty
Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.