George North is closing in on the record, but who holds it?
It will come to no surprise to those who watch rugby to find out Wales men’s top try-scorer.
Shane Williams was a prolific scorer throughout his career. He won his first cap for his country in 2000 against France and by the time he retired in 2011 he had clocked up 87 caps and 58 tries.
Related: Six Nations records
The most tries he scored in a single match for Wales was four which came against Japan in 2001. When he retired he had scored against 14 different countries.
No one has eclipsed Williams’ men’s record as of yet but there is one current player slowly chipping away. Centre George North is 11 tires behind Williams and though there is still a long way to go to break the record, North could do it. It looks as though North is remaining an international player for the next Rugby World Cup cycle and so he has just over three years to score 11 tries.
North has already broken one of Williams’ men’s records. In the 2023 Six Nations North scored against France to take his total tries across all of the tournaments to 23. This overtook Williams’ 22 and so North has now scored more tries than any other Welshman in the Six Nations.
He said after scoring against France: “It has been a long road and a tough road, but it is something I am very proud and honoured to have achieved.
“Hopefully, there are a few more in me. I hope Shane is sweating, but there is a lot to go.”
Here is a list of Wales men’s top try-scorers.
Wales top try-scorer: Who makes the list?
- Shane Williams – 58
- George North – 47
- Gareth Thomas – 40
- Ieuan Evans – 33
- Colin Charvis – 22
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