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.
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
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
What a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
97 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
2 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
2 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
97 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
97 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to commentsI would like to see him say that to Eben face to face in a dark alley.
97 Go to comments