Sevu Reece: Super Rugby's all-time leading try-scorer, with 74 tries for the Crusaders

No one has scored more tries in Super Rugby than Sevu Reece. The wing from Nadi, in Fiji, arrived at the Crusaders as injury cover, topped the competition's try table in his first season, 2019, and, on 23 May 2025 against the Highlanders at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, passed TJ Perenara's all-time record with his 66th try. By the time he left Christchurch in 2026 the tally stood at 74, alongside 22 tries in 37 Tests for the All Blacks. This is the story of how a schoolboy sprinter from western Viti Levu became the most prolific try-scorer the competition has seen.

From Nadi to Hamilton

Sevuloni Lasei Reece was born in Nadi on 13 February 1997 and grew up there. According to his Wikipedia entry he went to Ratu Navula College and then to Queen Victoria School, the boys' boarding school, where he represented the school in rugby and in athletics at the Coke Games as a high jumper and 100-metre sprinter. The NZ Rugby Museum's profile on stats.allblacks.com describes him as a rugby and track and field schoolboy star in his homeland.

In 2014 he moved to New Zealand to finish his schooling at Hamilton Boys' High School, where he played in the First XV. Talking to 1News in May 2022, before the Crusaders played the Fijian Drua, he described the Fijian children he grew up among "throwing plastic bottles and pretending it's a rugby ball", and said their dreams could come true if they worked hard.

Melville and Waikato

After school, the Melville club in Hamilton signed him on a development contract. In 2016 he was the club's top points scorer as Melville won the Breweries Shield for the first time in 35 years. His performances at centre and on the wing earned a call into the Waikato squad that same winter.

Waikato held the Ranfurly Shield, and Reece's first-class debut came in a defence against Thames Valley at Paeroa Domain on 6 June 2016. Waikato won 83-13 and the debutant was among the try-scorers. He scored again in the 55-0 defence against King Country at Bedford Park, Matamata, on 30 July 2016, and twice in a 20-20 draw with Taranaki at FMG Stadium Waikato on 18 September 2016, a result that kept the Shield in Hamilton. By the end of the season he had played 12 Shield and Mitre 10 Cup games and scored seven tries. Wikipedia credits him with 33 games and 134 points for Waikato across 2016, 2017 and 2018.

A Barbarian against the Lions

The first big stage came on 3 June 2017. The British and Irish Lions opened their tour of New Zealand against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians at Okara Park in Whangarei, in front of 19,951 people, and Reece, aged 20, started on the left wing for the Barbarians. The provincial side led 7-3 at half-time before the Lions edged home 13-7.

Injury cover who stayed

Reece joined the Crusaders for pre-season in December 2018 as a training player covering injuries. When Israel Dagg's career ended through injury and Manasa Mataele was ruled out for the season, he was handed the right wing for the match against the Chiefs in Christchurch on 9 March 2019. The Crusaders won 57-28 and the newcomer was named man of the match. The Museum's write-up and the Crusaders' own player profile record an intercept try; the club's later news stories remember it as a two-try night.

His first season brought a title and the competition's try-scoring crown. He scored twice in the 30-26 semi-final win over the Hurricanes at Rugby League Park, Christchurch, on 29 June 2019, and started on the right wing in the final at the same ground on 6 July 2019, when the Crusaders beat the Jaguares 19-3 for a third straight title. His 15 tries made him the competition's top try-scorer, and the Crusaders named him their Rookie of the Year.

Titles kept coming. He scored the opening try of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa final against the Chiefs at Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, on 8 May 2021, a 24-13 win and a fifth title in a row. On 13 May 2022, in a 37-26 win over the Brumbies at GIO Stadium, Canberra, he played his 50th game for the Crusaders and scored his 40th try. 1News reported that no player in Super Rugby history had reached 40 tries in fewer games. He finished 2022 as the competition's joint top try-scorer with ten, level with team-mates Will Jordan and Leicester Fainga'anuku.

The All Blacks and a World Cup at 22

His first Crusaders season earned a place in the All Blacks squad for the 2019 Rugby Championship and World Cup. He made his Test debut on 20 July 2019 against Argentina at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires, starting on the right wing in a 20-16 win, and became All Black number 1182. His first Test try followed on 17 August 2019, in the 36-0 win over Australia at Eden Park, Auckland.

At the World Cup in Japan he was first choice on the right wing. He started the opening match against South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on 21 September 2019, a 23-13 win, scored twice against Namibia at Tokyo Stadium on 6 October 2019 (71-9), and started the 46-14 quarter-final win over Ireland in Yokohama on 19 October 2019. He also started the semi-final against England at the same ground on 26 October 2019, which England won 19-7. He was 22.

Seven Tests, seven tries in a row

The 2021 season produced the most striking run of his Test career. On 17 July 2021 the All Blacks played Fiji, the country of his birth, at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, his old provincial home ground. Reece scored a hat-trick in a 60-13 win. The Museum's statistics list it as his highest-scoring Test, and it began a streak: he scored in each of his next six Tests as well, against Australia at Eden Park on 7 and 14 August 2021, Argentina at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast on 12 September 2021, South Africa at the same ground on 2 October 2021, Wales at Principality Stadium, Cardiff, on 30 October 2021 and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 6 November 2021. That made tries in seven consecutive Test appearances, and nine for the year.

He added tries against Ireland at Eden Park on 2 July 2022 (42-19) and Japan at the National Stadium in Tokyo on 29 October 2022 (38-31).

Knee injury and comeback

In the Crusaders' 34-28 win over the Blues at Eden Park on 18 March 2023, Reece injured his knee. Scans confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, surgery followed, and his 2023 season, including the World Cup in France, was over. He had 23 Tests to his name. Scott Robertson, then his Crusaders coach, told 1News he expected hard work to bring him back as "a world class wing", and told reporters he would be back in 2024.

He was. Robertson had become All Blacks coach, and in his first Test back, against England at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, on 6 July 2024, Reece scored in a 16-15 win. On 19 July 2024 he scored against Fiji again, this time at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, as the All Blacks won 47-5. He played nine Tests that year, adding a try against Australia in Wellington on 28 September 2024.

In 2025 he started the 31-27 win over France at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 5 July 2025, the All Blacks' 500th Test victory, scored twice in the 41-24 win over Argentina at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba, on 16 August 2025, and finished his Test career with two tries off the bench in the 52-26 win over Wales at Principality Stadium, Cardiff, on 22 November 2025.

The record

Back with the Crusaders, the career try record came within reach in 2025. On 23 May 2025, against the Highlanders in front of a sell-out crowd at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, Reece grounded the ball beside a ruck in the 14th minute. The television match official took several minutes to check it before awarding the try, his 66th in Super Rugby, which took him past Perenara's mark. The Crusaders won 15-12. On 21 June 2025 he started on the right wing as they beat the Chiefs 16-12 at the same ground to win the title again.

In December 2025 the Crusaders announced that 2026 would be his last season. "This club has given me everything," he said. Coach Rob Penney said his growth since 2019 was "a credit to his character", and noted he had helped the club to six titles.

The farewell season was a good one. On 29 May 2026, under the roof at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, he played his 100th game for the club against the Hurricanes. Before the match he talked about looking back to "that Fijian kid who first came down to Christchurch" just to train as injury cover. He scored the first try of the night and the last, then converted the second from the sideline as the Crusaders won 47-14. "He's a crowd favourite here," Penney said afterwards.

On 6 June 2026 he scored in the 12th minute of the 52-31 qualifying final win over the Blues at the same stadium, his eighth try of the season and his 74th in Super Rugby. The Crusaders' campaign ended in the semi-final against the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, on 12 June 2026. Wikipedia's career table, updated after the 2026 final, lists Reece first on Super Rugby's all-time try list with 74, nine clear of Perenara on 65. His Wikipedia entry credits him with 102 appearances for the Crusaders.

Style and standing

Robertson, who coached him at the Crusaders and with the All Blacks, summed him up for 1News in 2022: "He's a world-class wing, a premier try scorer." He also pointed to the work nobody sees: "He covers metres off the ball that no one sees." Penney, before the 100th game, said Reece was always among the leaders for metres and high-speed running, and added: "He's got X-factor with work rate."

The Crusaders' profile lists him as the club's leading try-scorer, a record previously held by Caleb Ralph with 52.

Off the field

Reece has been an ambassador for the Child Cancer Foundation, which the Crusaders highlighted, along with his community work, when they announced his departure.

Where he is now

Reece signed a three-year contract with USA Perpignan in the French Top 14, according to L'Equipe as reported by allblacks.com. The deal depended on Perpignan staying in the top flight, and they did, beating Provence Rugby 47-24 in the Access Match. Sud Radio listed him among Perpignan's recruits for the 2026-27 season, with his former Crusaders team-mate Braydon Ennor, and called him one of the squad's main assets. allblacks.com reported that the move would end his All Blacks career, which stands at 37 Tests and 22 tries. He leaves Super Rugby as its all-time leading try-scorer.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data. Provincial and Super Rugby figures are from Wikipedia.