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Watch: The tries that have pundits calling Caleb Clarke a 'devastating' All Black in the making
While the Blues have been outstanding across the park this year, their outside backs have been arguably their best performers week-in and week-out. Since the Coronavirus-enforced suspension of Super Rugby, it looks like the Auckland-based side have discovered another incredible threat.
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Fans and pundits alike lavished praise on new Harbour man Mark Telea earlier in the season as the dynamic wing notched up five tries in the initial Super Rugby season but the returning Caleb Clarke is suddenly attracting all the attention.
Clarke played 13 matches for the Blues between 2018 and 2019 and while the now-21-year-old showed plenty of promise in those appearances, he appears to have come on in leaps and bounds since spending the early part of 2020 with the New Zealand sevens team.
The son of former All Black Eroni Clarke wasn’t confident he’d even get the opportunity for game-time in Super Rugby Aotearoa given Telea’s sublime form on the left wing but the decision to move Telea to the right wing and instil Clarke on the left has immediately paid dividends for Blues coach Leon MacDonald.
Clarke was one of the most dangerous players on the park in the Blues’ wins over the Hurricanes and Chiefs but he took his game up another level against the Highlanders on Saturday evening.
The dynamic outside back burst over the try-line from short-range to open up the scoring for the Blues in the 6th minute.
?? Show and GO! Caleb Clarke does the business early for @bluesrugbyteam.
Watch live now on @SkySportNZ#BLUvHIG pic.twitter.com/vWnI2M2dJL
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) June 27, 2020
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While that impressive effort showed off Clarke’s power and strength, it was how he set up Rieko Ioane for the Blues’ final try of the first half that would have really impressed his coaches.
Clarke received the ball just outside the Blues’ 22 then threw a dummy and scooted around some lax tackling and burst down the field. Seconds later, Ioane was diving over the line to take the home side out to a 22-10 lead.
? Try of the Year contender?
Tune into @SkySportNZ to see if @BluesRugbyTeam can bring more of this in the second half.#BLUvHIG pic.twitter.com/U3y17olX1b
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) June 27, 2020
Fans quickly took to social media to lavish praise on Clarke.
Caleb Clarke has bossed this half. #BLUvHIG
— Moses Rudende (@rudende) June 27, 2020
Caleb Clarke is an All Black in the making. No doubt about it. He has been superb in the first three rounds. #BLUvHIG
— Dylan Jack (@dylanmattjack) June 27, 2020
Caleb Clarke has been incredible. He is going to decimate internationals defences whenever they get to happen again. #BLUvHIG
— Ruck ‘n’ Roll (@RnRRugby) June 27, 2020
Caleb Clarke is devastating in broken play. Ioane looking like test centre already. National defence coaches ???#BLUvHIG
— Steve Jones (@122sj) June 27, 2020
That Clarke – Ioane linkup has been deadly tonight. #SuperRugby #Aotearoa #BLUvHIG #SSRugby
— Darren Carlson (@darrencarlson_) June 27, 2020
Caleb Clarke is great. Like a cross between his old man and Ma’a Nonu. #superrugbyaotearoa #BLUvHIG
— Nicholas Cocks (@NickoCocks) June 27, 2020
#BLUvHIG Is it me, or did Caleb Clarke spend the lockdown packing on about 20kg’s of muscle? Guy’s a serious unit.
— Ed Ansell (@EdAnsell1) June 27, 2020
Today in bonkers stats from the first 40 – Clarke has run 82 metres, the Highlanders have run 84!!!
I still really like the Landers tho, if they score the next try it’ll be nervy
ADVERTISEMENTThing they’ll be worried about is conceding 7 turnovers to the Blues 3 #SuperRugbyAotearoa #BLUvHIG
— Rhys Knott (@buck_mitchell) June 27, 2020
Don’t know what happened to Caleb Clarke in the 7s setup, but damn he’s impressive at the mo #SuperRugbyAotearoa #BLUvHIG
— Jim Locke (@zedsdead23) June 27, 2020
You know you are getting old when you remember Sotutu and Clarke carving up for Auckland in the early 1990s. Now their sons are doing it for @BluesRugbyTeam #BLUvHIG
— Scotty Donaldson (@scottd_sports) June 27, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
I think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
8 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
4 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
8 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
13 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
13 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
4 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to comments