What is the highest number of points scored in a test debut and who holds this record?
Simon Culhane (of Southland), playing at first-five, scored 45 points in his test debut for New Zealand, on June 4, in a 145-17 drubbing of Japan at the 1995 World Cup. He scored one try, which he converted and converted 19 other tries (making 20 conversions altogether, another record). He only missed one shot at goal all day --- a minor miss of the one remaining try in the All Black's tally. Interestingly, New Zealand had no penalty goal attempts in the entire match. Culhane's total was also a record individual score for a World Cup final series game and is the second highest individual score ever in an international match. (The same game also saw Marc Ellis, playing at centre, score a record 6 tries in a test for New Zealand.) Not all of Culhane's kicks were easy. Several tries were out wide, and even into the sun, and towards the end of the match a couple of try scorers made little or no attempt to run their tries in behind the posts!
This record on debut eclipsed the previous record set only a month earlier by Andrew Mehrtens. Mehrtens (of Canterbury), also playing at first-five, scored 28 points in his test debut for New Zealand against Canada in Auckland, April 22, 1995. His tally included a try (5), three penalty goals (9) and seven conversions (14) and was only two points short of the then third place (and once) world record test score. New Zealand won the game 73-7 in what was Canada's heaviest defeat in an international. The game was a build-up for both sides prior to the 1995 World Cup. (Mehrtens was rested for the above World Cup pool game with Japan.)
Prior to these two feats the previous record on debut had been 23 by Matthew Cooper, also of New Zealand.
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