Caleb Clarke on edge over chip on Damian Penaud's shoulder in Christchurch

Caleb Clarke is preparing to square off with what he expects to be a highly motivated Damian Penaud on Saturday evening, with the All Black keenly aware of his opposite’s recent Six Nations snub.

With 40 tries in 60 Tests, Penaud’s omission from Fabien Galthié’s squad came just months after becoming France’s all-time leading try-scorer, and while the 29-year-old was contributing to a strong stretch with his club team, Bordeaux, who would later lay waste to Leinster in the Champions Cup final.

And yet when February rolled around, Penaud’s services were not required, and France were able to claim their second consecutive title in the storied tournament regardless.

Having now earned a recall for the inaugural Nations Championship, Penaud is set to play his first Test in the southern hemisphere in five years, and his first against Caleb Clarke, with form and injuries denying the pair the chance to lock horns until now.

“It’ll be the first time in my whole career getting to mark up against him, and he’s been one of the leading wingers in the world, so that in itself is an exciting challenge for me,” Clarke told RugbyPass after the All Blacks‘ captain’s run on Friday afternoon.

“Knowing his game, he’s light on his feet, a threat around the ball, so I have to be on top of my game.

“But being home adds that edge for me. Playing at home, it means a lot more when you put on the black jersey. I’m just really excited.”

Fixture

Nations Championship

New Zealand

00:10

4 Jul 26

France

All Stats and Data

When asked whether he expected Penaud to be out to prove a point on Saturday evening, Clarke let out an enthusiastic “yep!” as a big grin came across his face.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I think you always have that extra oomf when you’ve missed out on something that you wanted to be a part of, and I’m sure he’ll bring that. So again, that’s on me to step up my game and just really take on that challenge, but also enjoy it as well.”

While Clarke hasn’t faced the same selection woes as his French counterpart recently, his 2025 season was turbulent, with a speeding scandal landing him in court at the time his selection for the first All Blacks squad of the year was announced.

The Blues star’s form took a hit as the brief legal proceedings played out in public, and the anxiety of the situation clearly took a toll. In the end, Clarke was not charged and returned from injury during the Rugby Championship to start four games at the back end of the All Blacks’ Test season.

Now a year removed from the incident, Clarke says he has a refreshed attitude towards the game and has put enjoyment back at the heart of his rugby journey.

“Mentally, I’m in a better place,” he said. “I remember that July series last year, I felt like I didn’t want to be there in a sense, after the mistake I made with my motorbike incident.

“This year, I’m being a lot more free and just enjoying rugby. That’s the biggest difference.

“When I enjoy my rugby, I play my best. Although the Blues, we didn’t get it right a lot of the time this year, especially around the back-end of the season, I still really enjoyed being amongst the boys and playing. So I just want to take it to another level now, being in the All Blacks and being alongside a lot of my closest mates in rugby.”

Named to start on his familiar left wing against France, Clarke will link up with Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie in a back three unit that, alongside first-time All Black No.10 Ruben Love, is expecting to field a high volume of contestable kicks.

“We know that they’ve got a big kicking threat in their game, they play on top, they play fast,” Clarke said. “For us, we really want to counter that, making sure that we’re brutal around the contact area, collisions; we don’t want to get beaten up.”

The high-ball contest has been one of the most discussed aspects of the game since World Rugby clamped down on escort lines, which restricted the attacking team’s ability to contest in the air and made any ensuing loose-ball contests more of a lottery.

In a timely evolution of his game, Clarke has emerged as New Zealand’s premier aerial winger in recent seasons, further strengthening his claim to the No.11 jersey. But he says the aerial skill set wasn’t always in his repertoire.

“I enjoy the battle now; it’s definitely something I’ve had to grow over the years. I remember my first couple of years, especially playing for Auckland, I used to hate the high ball. But, going away and playing Sevens, chasing kick-offs and getting into that battle, receiving, in that Sevens perspective, that’s what grew my game in the aerial battle.

“And then, spending time away, doing things like league, AFL training, that all started to develop a little bit more. Now I really enjoy that battle. So, it’s one of the coolest things about the game nowadays, that one-on-one contest in the air, and there’s a lot more emphasis on it now that the rules have changed. But it’s just one area of my game that I’ve really grown and want to keep growing as well.”

The 27-year-old is now six years into his All Blacks career, having entered the international game as a hugely hyped 21-year-old with pace and power that had fans drawing comparisons to the Jonah Lomus and Julian Saveas of yesteryear.

Fast forward to today, and he’s one of the most well-rounded wingers in the game, having ironed out defensive crinkles and taken on more leadership roles within the New Zealand environment. Recently, he’s been reflecting on that journey.

“I was talking to Will (Jordan), this is our seventh season with the All Blacks, and ninth season playing Super Rugby, so just the fact that we’ve been around so long and are still enjoying it. It’s funny for us saying that we’re older now, we’re sitting further and further back on the bus. So the growth of transitioning from young players into having more of a leadership role in the senior playing group, it’s been something really special to grow into.

“I find now, getting alongside guys like Fehi (Fineanganofo) that have just joined the team and seeing his energy, it’s a real breath of fresh air. Sometimes I look at Fehi, and I remember when I was his age and just enjoying being amongst the boys and having a lot of fun.

“You saw his season this year, just having so much fun out there, that’s the part of the game that I haven’t been asked about the most, but I find I’m most confident in, just getting to grow and taking up more of a helping-out role, but having a lot of fun doing it.”