Top 11 try scorers in Rugby World Cup history
The New Zealand great Jonah Lomu, who took the 1995 World Cup by storm as a 20-year-old, sits at the top of the list
Credit: Tony Henshaw/Action Images
Although rugby is one of the ultimate team sports, it is the guys who cross the whitewash and score the most tries who receive a vast amount of attention.
The finishers and poachers come in all shapes and sizes, from the size and power of Jonah Lomu (above) to the nimble and fleet-footed Shane Williams.
To do it on the ultimate stage, the Rugby World Cup, separates the men from the boys, however.
With this in mind, we decided to take a look into the top 11 try scorers in Rugby World Cup history with the full list below.
11.) Shane Williams (WAL) - 10 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2003, 2007, 2011
Pace, trickery and guile - the ballerina Williams racked up 87 appearances for Wales between 2000 and 2011, scoring 58 test tries in the process.
After being told he was “too small” to play rugby, he took up football and, believe it or not, was a “superb goalkeeper” according to a former coach.
Moving into rugby with Amman United, joining Neath where Head Coach Lyn Jones moved him to the wing where he flourished - earning a Wales debut in 2000.
Although he would win two Six Nations Grand Slams with Wales in 2005 and 2008, he also had success on the World Cup stage as he remains his country’s top scorer in the competition.
The World Player of the Year in 2008, Williams starred in Wales’ narrow 53–37 loss to tournament favourites New Zealand in the 2003 edition of the tournament.
His World Cup career would end in agony after Sam Warburton’s red card and an 8–9 semi-final defeat to France, but the winger who was “too small” remains a giant in rugby history.
10.) Brian Lima (SAM) - 10 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 1991, 1995,1999, 2003, 2007
Playing in an astonishing five World Cup’s, "The Chiropractor" was perhaps better known for his shuddering hits in defence than his try-scoring pedigree.
At home on the wing or in the centres, Lima featured in Samoa's famous World Cup win over Wales in 1991 and was the youngest player at the tournament.
In that competition, he scored a brace against Argentina which propelled Western Samoa into the knockout rounds before an exit at the hands of Scotland.
He scored consistently at World Cups as his side also reached the second round in 1995 and the quarter-final playoff in 1999.
Lima also played for the Samoa sevens team and scored 17 tries in various Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments, ranking him third all-time in career World Cup Sevens tries.
9.) Vincent Clerc (FRA) - 11 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2007, 2011
An elegant, silky player with ball in hand, the fact that Clerc achieved the haul he did after appearing in only two tournaments is quite frankly heinous.
With 34 tries for France in 67 caps, Clerc had pace, footwork and finishing ability that made him lethal in the oppositions 22.
His brace in the 2007 pool stage battering against Ireland lives long in the memory, but it was his score against England in the 19-12 quarter-final victory in New Zealand in 2011 that must be Clerc’s crowning moment.
Receiving the ball out wide, he bursts through a narrow gap before holding off defenders and makes a covering Mark Cueto look very silly indeed.
8.) Chris Latham (AUS) - 11 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 1999, 2003, 2007
Chris “The Boot” Latham was a Rolls Royce of a fullback, earning 78 caps for the Wallabies and remains their second-highest test try scorer with 40 scores to his name.
A canon of a left foot combined with a strong running game and playmaking ability, Latham was an automatic first choice at 15 for Austalia when fit.
Granted, his five tries in a 142-0 annihilation of Namibia (which remains the highest winning margin in the tournament’s history) goes a long way to securing his place on this list but his quality can’t be understated.
Stephen Jones, the chief rugby correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times, once rated Latham as the finest fullback he has ever seen - which perhaps is all that needs to be said.
7.) Joe Rokocoko (NZ) - 11 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2003, 2007
One of the most lethal finishers in the game, the Kiwi great mixed searing pace and deceptive power to devastating effect.
Born in Fiji, he moved to Auckland in New Zealand with his family when he was five and enjoyed an impressive junior rugby career.
He made his Super 12 bow for the Blues in 2003, before he had played for Auckland at provincial level, and helped inspire them to the title.
Rokocoko was rewarded with his All Blacks debut against England that same year at 19, becoming the youngest player to be selected for the All Blacks since Jonah Lomu in 1994.
He set the world stage alight with a total of 17 tries in 12 Tests in 2003 - a world record for a calendar year - including hat-tricks against France and Australia.
At the 2003 World Cup, he bagged braces against Wales and Italy before scoring against South Africa in the quarters after a brilliant Carlos Spencer through the legs pass.
On the international stage, he will go down as one of a series of great New Zealand players to never lift the William Webb Ellis trophy.
Take a minute to enjoy the sheer brilliance below.
6.) Rory Underwood (ENG) - 11 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 1987, 1991, 1995
Former RAF pilot Underwood only stands at 5ft9 but was rapid with the ball in hand and had the hip swerve to jink his way around flailing defenders.
His England career began against Ireland in the 1984 Five Nations before he quickly pinned down a starting slot for his country.
Underwood was on hand for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 but only scored two tries against Japan in the competition as England bowed out with a disappointing defeat to Wales in the quarters.
Four years later, he would suffer heartbreak as England lost 12-6 to the Wallabies in the World Cup Final - not before being part of the team trampled over by Jonah Lomu in Cape Town during the 1995 edition.
In 1992, Underwood played for the Red Rose alongside his younger brother Tony, becoming the first brothers to play together for England since 1937.
5.) Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 12 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
Another member of the band of players to feature at four World Cups, AAC was "Mr Versatile" for the Wallabies in the 2000’s and enjoyed a glittering career that saw him pick up Australia 121 caps - placing him behind only George Gregan and Stephen Moore.
Against Italy, Ireland, USA, Russia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Wales at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Ashley-Cooper played outside centre, on both wings, and at fullback.
Similarly, at the 2007 World Cup, he covered the centres against Canada and Fiji before slotting in at right wing against Japan and England.
Ashley-Cooper could always be relied upon for his work rate, defence and positional ability - but was also a powerful runner when he got his hands on the ball.
His hat trick to see off Argentina in the 2015 World Cup semi-final summed him up in a nutshell - right place, right time, Mr Reliable.
4.) Doug Howlett (NZ) - 13 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2003, 2007
You don’t become the All Blacks top try scorer by chance. Dougie Howlett in his pomp was bloody good. Scarily good. 49 tried in 62 test matches good.
Blessed with blistering pace, Howlett was a star sprinter in his youth and once ran the 100m in 10.68s. Woof.
At the 2003 World Cup, he and his big mate Mils Muliaina were joint top scorers, before is hat-trick against Italy four years later brought him level with the record of Christian Cullen, the All Blacks' previous leading try scorer.
His try in the 15th minute against Scotland two weeks later gave him the record but, however, the tournament ended on a low note for him.
Three days after the All Blacks' shock quarter-final elimination at the hands of France in Cardiff, a game for which he was sensationally dropped, Howlett was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to two vehicles during a players' night out.
An apology followed but his international career was sadly over - along with the chance of another World Cup appearance - when he joined Munster in 2008.
Despite an eye for the try line, Howlett was known as a winger with a high work rate and strong defensive tackling ability which made him a player you’d always want on your team.
3.) Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 14 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2007, 2011, 2015
An elusive, sidestepping runner who was a fantastic finisher, Mitchell’s career was beset with injuries but he still made 71 appearances with the Wallabies after he made his debut in 2005.
He first announced himself on the global stage at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. The competition was ultimately a disappointment for Australia, who were beaten by a stuttering England in the quarter-finals.
However, for Mitchell, it was a great tournament, with the then 23-year-old racking up a staggering seven tries in just five appearances - a tally only bettered by Bryan Habana.
Four years later in April 2011, injury reared its ugly head when a dislocated right ankle appeared to ruled him out of that year’s World Cup.
However, in a testament to the man, he made a remarkable recovery and was named in Robbie Deans' squad for the tournament - only for another injury, suffered against Russia in the pools, sending him home early.
Still, on his day, he was a fantastic all-round player as shown below.
2.) Bryan Habana (SA) - 15 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 2007, 2011, 2015
Quite simply a try machine. The 2007 IRB Player of the Year, Habana is regarded as one of the most lethal wingers in the game’s history having taken the Springboks' all-time try-scoring record during the 2011 World Cup.
He played centre and scrum-half throughout age-group rugby before moving to his home on the wing and a star was born.
Habana made his Springboks debut as a replacement against England on 20 November 2004, scoring a try with his first touch of the ball and it would set the tone for the rest of his South Africa career.
The speedster, who ran the 100m in 10.2s, made headlines around the world in 2007 by racing a cheetah - and not surprisingly losing - as part of an awareness campaign.
He scored four tries in the opening victory over Samoa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and followed that with two against the USA.
A further brace against Argentina in the semi-final followed but he was unable to add to his tally of eight during the final victory against England, sharing the record for tries in one tournament set by New Zealand's Jonah Lomu in 1999.
Habana broke the Boks' try-scoring record, held by Joost van der Westhuizen, in their 87-0 rout of Namibia in the 2011 World Cup before scoring five more at the 2015 edition as South Africa made the semi-finals.
One of the greatest try scorers in rugby history who would strike fear in the hearts of opposition defenders.
1.) Jonah Lomu (NZ) - 15 tries
Rugby World Cups featured in: 1995, 1999
Rugby’s first global superstar when the game turned professional shortly after the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. The then 20-year-old burst on the scene at that tournament with some of the most destructive showings rugby has ever seen.
As a youngster, he was played as a back-rower due to his height (6"5') and weight (119kg) but his speed (10.8 seconds for 100m) meant that he would move into the backs early in his career.
He scored seven tries during the 1995 tournament and added a further eight in the 1999 World Cup, becoming the top try scorer in the tournament’s history.
For New Zealand, Lomu scored 37 tries in his 63 Tests and there is little doubt there would have been more if he hadn't fallen ill with a debilitating kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome.
Although he remained in All Blacks contention until 2002, it was clear his health didn’t allow him to fulfil the talent he once possessed before he eventually retired in 2007.
Tragically, on the morning of November 18 in 2015, gentle giant Lomu died unexpectedly in Auckland from a heart attack linked to his kidney disease. He was just 40 years old.
Rugby fans can still marvel at his sheer brilliance on Youtube, however, where he singlehandedly launched rugby into the worldwide consciousness in 1995.
The footage of the giant winger trampling over Mike Catt on his way to scoring one of his four tries against England in 1995 is etched in the memory.
After the game, England captain Will Carling said: "He is a freak, and the sooner he goes away the better". Although he ultimately did go away too soon, the sport will forever be indebted to Lomu.
