Battling the Lions: Putting The Boot in

Don Clarke

In 1949 Gordon Minhinnick, whose world-class cartoons decorated the New Zealand Herald for many years, depicted the dismay felt when the All Blacks lost all four tests in South Africa.

He drew scenes of wide-eyed young New Zealand lads listening in horror as the Evil One - Okey Geffin - kicked the goals that crushed their heroes.

Ten years later, any cartoonist in Britain, and especially in Wales, could have replaced Geffin with Don Clarke, the beefy young New Zealand fullback and goal-kicker whose kicking - and general play - gave the All Blacks a 3-0 lead over the Lions before they came back to win the fourth and last test at Eden Park.

In British eyes, Clarke was at his most satanic in the first test when he kicked six penalty goals to give the All Blacks 18 points, while the Lions scored 17 from four tries, a conversion and a penalty goal. (See page 14).

It seemed as if the whole world of rugby erupted with horror or anger, or both, that such an important test should be won simply by kicking penalty goals, and lost by a side which had achieved the rare feat (in those days) of scoring four tries.

In those days there was a tendency to regard the penalty goal as providing points from the dark side, while the heavens rejoiced at the tries which were seen to bear the trappings of test-match glory.

New Zealand critics formed a chorus of protest while the overseas newspapers, led by J.B. G. Thomas of the Western Mail in Wales, launched a frenzied and strident attack on the All Blacks and the referee and depicted Clarke as the chief villain.

Clarke had known fame, since eight years before, at the tender age of 17, he had hefted two penalty goals from the Rugby Park mud at Whangarei and won the Ranfurly Shield, and enduring fame, for Waikato.

Five years later, first for Waikato and then for the All Blacks in the third and fourth tests against South Africa, Clarke's magnificently long goal-kicking had played a very significant part in the 3-1 series win over the Springboks.

And, after that morale-shattering win at Carisbrook, Clarke still frustrated the Lions.

In the second test at Wellington, the Lions led 8-6 in the last minute when the All Blacks made their last backline thrust. A pass from the inside backs skittered along the ground, Clarke picked up and had scoring support to his left. But with a bit of a dummy to the left the 103kg Clarke evaded John Young's lunge, ploughed over the goal-line for the try, and sealed the 11-8 win with the conversion.

In the third test David Hewitt scored a dazzling try just before halftime, and was heading for another a minute later. Hewitt had support, but Clarke sensed that the youngster would go alone, and stopped the scoring move with a crunching tackle. The crisis passed, and the All Blacks won 22-8.

With the clock ticking in the fourth test at Eden Park, the Lions led 9-6 and Clarke had one last chance to foil the tourists with a penalty goal attempt from well within his range.

But the ball drifted outside the upright, and the Lions had their win.

Then, and later, people asked Clarke, who died of cancer in 2002, whether he had felt sorry for the Lions, and purposely missed the goal kick.

No way, he said. "When you play for the All Blacks you never, never think about playing to lose. That was the way I felt at Carisbrook - if the points were available I wanted to take them." Footnote: - Clarke's team-mates gave him the match ball after the All Blacks' sensational win at Carisbrook, and it sat by his side on the dressing room seat. A prominent New Zealand official saw it there, said he knew a youngster who would love to have THAT ball, and would Clarke mind if he took it. Clarke gave the man the ball, but forever after regretted his generosity.

Looking back, I wondered whether the lad treasured the ball, or left it lying under a hedge.

How accurate was The Boot?

In the 1959 series Don Clarke scored one try, kicked two conversions, nine penalties and one drop goal for a personal haul of 39 test points out of the All Black total of 60.

He played 89 matches for the All Blacks between 1956 and 1964, including 31 tests.

He scored 781 points, 207 in tests.

But how did his success rate in tests compare to that of modern kickers? Rugby statistician Geoff Miller has calculated that Clarke's success rate in converting test tries compares poorly to modern kickers, but he points out The Boot was kicking heavy leather balls, often on sodden, muddy fields.

Clarke converted 33 of 62 test tries for a 53 per cent success rate.

Other super boots:
Fergie McCormick 23/40 57.5 per cent
Andrew Mehrtens 169/234 72 per cent
Daniel Carter 52/71 73 per cent
Grant Fox 118/162 73 per cent
Simon Culhane 32/41 78 per cent
Jonny Wilkinson 128/162 79 per cent