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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.
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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
