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Watch: Caleb Clarke sent off for 'reckless' challenge on Moana Pasifika winger
Caleb Clarke has made plenty of headlines this season for his scintillating form for the Blues but Saturday night’s win over Moana Pasifika might be a night to forget for the 23-year-old.
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After bursting onto the scene in 2020 and quickly earning a call-up to the All Blacks, last year was a tougher 12 months for the wrecking ball. Injuries plagued the early stages of the season for the winger and his form never quite reached the heights of the prior campaign throughout Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Clarke then linked up with the national sevens side in the lead-up to the Olympics and although he flew to Tokyo as a travelling reserve, he wasn’t ever able to take the field (and rarely left the hotel).
In 2022, however, Clarke appears to be back to the form that won him a place in the All Blacks side in 2020, with the winger impressing with his destructive running coupled with his unquestionable skill under the high ball.
On Saturday evening against Moana Pasifika, however, it wasn’t a scything run that was being replayed over and over on the big screen, it was instead a charge down attempt on his opposite winger, Tomasi Alosio.
In the 52nd minute of the match, Alosio received a wide pass from a scrum and charged down the right wing. With Blues players Stephen Perofeta and Clarke looming large, Alosio chipped ahead. Immediately following what looked like an attempt to charge down the kick, Clarke braced to protect himself in the air and his hip clobbered into Alosio, connecting with the Moana Pasifika winger’s head.
Caleb Clarke red card for his knee to the head 🟥 #BLUvMOA | #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/w9nwPLgYRh
— Darren (@SaffasRugby) April 2, 2022
After much discussion between referee James Doleman and his assistants, Clarke was dealt a red card and the Blues were forced to play with a man down for 20 minutes.
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While there didn’t look to be any malice on Clarke’s behalf, the officials ruled that he wasn’t in a reasonable position to charge the ball down and his charge was “reckless”. Alosio also had to leave the field after the knock to the head.
As is the case with any controversial decision, fans took to social media to give their take on the red card.
Some were in support of the decision.
That’s really nasty from Caleb Clarke.
So reckless, surely a red. #SuperRugbyPacific #BLUvMOA
— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) April 2, 2022
That’s very tough on Caleb Clarke but I think it had to be red. The disciplinary hearing will be very interesting.
— Christopher O’Neill (@connacht1885) April 2, 2022
Tough call but correct. You can’t put yourself in that position and clearly hit someone in the head. Advantage in that situation goes to the attacking player. So Unfortunate but correct call
— Brandon (@Brandon82038428) April 2, 2022
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The majority, however, seemed to take umbrage with the call.
What in the name of hell is going on in Super Rugby?
— Tim O’Connor (@timoconnorbl) April 2, 2022
Surely that is just a rugby incident, he jumped to charge a kick down and the guy ran in to him.
Why do so many people seem to want people sent off all the time
— The Chinese Lensman (@Chinese_Lensman) April 2, 2022
I don’t like the place rugby is going. The red card was invented for deliberate acts of foul play, and what Caleb Clarke has done is not that.
What Nepo and Shilo did were deliberate, but what Clarke did would be more befitting of a yellow and maybe an on report system? #BLUvMOA
— Nicholas Friedlander (@NicholasFriedl3) April 2, 2022
Harsh red card there for Caleb Clarke…clumsy but not a red bana.
— Poghie Ndonga (@poghie_esquire) April 2, 2022
Some even suggested (perhaps with their tongues firmly in their cheeks) that Alosio should have been sent off for taking out Clarke in the air.
No red card for the other player taking out a player in the air? 🤣
— Joe M (@Mini_dunk) April 2, 2022
Clarke will likely face the judiciary this week following the incident, with Blues prop Nepo Laulala one game into his three-match ban for a reckless tackle in the earlier fixture between the two sides.
Despite the sending off, the Blues had no issues holding on to beat Moana Pasifika 46-16.
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
75 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments