How Freddie Clarke became an overnight success at the age of 29
Imagine becoming an overnight success at the age of 29. That is essentially what happened to Gloucester academy graduate Freddie Clarke last season. Before he used to struggle for consistent XV selection, starting in just 19 of his 56 Gallagher Premiership appearances. However, he was transformed in the 2021/22 campaign, starting in 21 of his 23 league games.
That earned him selection in the BT Sport end-of-season dream team and also bagged him an England training camp call-up at the start of June. Swell. What gives? Essentially, the back-rower became a very different player in a different position.
Injuries had drained the club’s engine room resources and needs must. They convinced Clarke to give lock a go and he has since become indispensable in that role, Gloucester shaking hands with the player last week on a contract extension beyond the end of the current season.
There wasn’t much indication that Clarke would suddenly metamorphose into the must-pick forward that he now is. In his previous 19 league starts for the club through to the end of the 2020/21 campaign, he was mostly viewed as a back-rower. There were 14 selections at blindside and another three at No8. Just two were at lock.
That massively changed last term with 20 of Clarke’s Premiership starts coming at second row with just a single start at blindside. What did Gloucester boss George Skivington see that tempted him to convert Clarke from one position to another in the pack?
“Ironically we were short on locks last year and I sort of said to Fred, ‘Would you do it?’ What has made him integral is actually his attention to detail and how hard he has worked off the field,” explained the Kingsholm coach to RugbyPass ahead of this Saturday’s trip to Bath, another game where Clarke – who turns 30 on October 10 – has been chosen at No4.
“He has been unbelievable the last twelve months in terms of he has had to learn how to call a lineout. He has been brilliant in terms of looking after himself and leading the team. By the end of last year, they were calling him the pack leader because he was so on it and driving standards.
“He is one of those guys who got given the opportunity and took it and probably for the years before that, either wasn’t given the opportunity or didn’t quite grab it when he got it. Last year he just grabbed it and went for it. He is a really good player and a really good bloke but he has proven to be a brilliant professional as well.
“He is definitely an athlete, without a doubt. He is a good rugby player and everyone who has coached him would know that. But like I said, we were always trying to get him in the back row and ironically last year with second row sort of opening up, it was more by default he ended up in the second row.
“Then, like I say, he put a few good games together and when the second rows were fit and available, we kept him in there because we have always stuck by if you do well and go well then you are going to keep your spot. He kept his spot and obviously had a very good season. Let’s hope there is another good one.”
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments