Caleb Clarke fully appreciates the unpredictable peaks and troughs sport can bring. Photo / Photosport
Caleb Clarke fully appreciates the unpredictable peaks and troughs sport can bring. Photo / Photosport
Caleb Clarke has opened up about the tight-knit crew who helped him emerge from last year's turbulent season, to the form revival he's now savouring with the Blues – and moved to clarify suggestions he could defect to league anytime soon.
Clarke has packed a career of experiences into his23 years and eventually come out the other side with a healthy dose of perspective.
And that's fuelling his increasing influence on the Super Rugby Pacific-leading Blues.
From the heights of 2020, when he was swiftly promoted to the All Blacks and evoked comparisons to the late, great Jonah Lomu with a standout performance on the left wing against the Wallabies at Eden Park, to the lows of 2021 as second year syndrome hit hard, Clarke fully appreciates the unpredictable peaks and troughs sport can bring.
This year hasn't been perfect, either. Clarke copped a harsh three-week suspension for his attempted charge-down gone wrong, but learning to listen and trust those in his corner has him on the cusp of an All Blacks recall and embracing a vastly improved frame of mind.
"I've gone back to basics and found myself when I was at my lowest," Clarke said as the Blues prepare for the Reds at Eden Park on Saturday night. "I got to be around the people that helped me get through that. This year it's been about enjoying rugby and being around the club. I haven't really set goals or looked too far ahead. I'm living in the now, and that's helped me play with the freedom I have been the last few weeks."
Returning from Tokyo last year after missing selection in the men's sevens squad for the Olympic Games, Clarke turned to family, Hawke's Bay halfback Danny Tusitala, who is playing for Old Glory in America's Major League Rugby, and the Tuivasa-Sheck brothers, Roger and Johnny, to lift him up.
"Those are the key people who got me through the lowest point I got to and helped me to where we are today. Johnny lives down the road from me and that's literally who I spend most days with."
Caleb Clarke celebrates his try with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Photosport
These days Clarke is better prepared to navigate the fickle, and at times nasty, social media world while striking a balance through time away from the game.
But there was a point last year where rugby consumed him.
"Going through everything from the disappointment of not playing a really good Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign in 2021 and then not making the Olympics and All Blacks, I went through the lows.
"One thing I learned was not to listen to what other people said about me. It was hard to not see comments when people would tag me, trying to defend me. I would see comments saying 'he's lazy, he thinks he's too good'. Seeing stuff like that digs at you as a human.
"Sometimes I would get really petty and want to answer back and I would tap into their profile and see it was an old man and I'd think 'why are you saying this stuff?'
"Johnny helped me a lot with this stuff. His domain is social media so he helped me not listen to that sort of noise. I was really grateful for him during that time.
"I know we're in a sport that's always in the public eye so that comes with it but I was happy to go through that at a young age and see who are the people who I listen to. That's something I get to now pass on to young players when I talk to them.
"My story is about someone who cracked it and had his name in the headlights one second and people think he's on top of the world, and then the next he's in the shallows. That's what I've learned a lot about these last couple of years."
Caleb Clarke went back to the basics and has rediscovered his form. Photo / Photosport
Pushing such distractions aside allows Clarke to perform at his best. Last week, as the Blues recorded their second-largest total ever in the 71-28 rout of the Rebels, Clarke ran for 128 metres, beating nine defenders from two clean breaks.
Two weeks prior, while in Melbourne to promote the Super Round, Clarke sparked a headline frenzy by saying he harboured hopes of playing for South Sydney in the NRL. He is instead expected to soon re-sign with NZ Rugby, and confirmed that's where his priorities lie.
"As much as I always say I'd love to play league I have so many things I want to tick off in rugby before I even think about going to league. Because we were in Australia, in Melbourne, it got blown out of proportion, but my focus is here and being the best rugby player I can be. That would be the truth on where that matter stands in terms of league."
Such a statement will be reassuring for the All Blacks as the Blues edge closer to a home playoff, and Clarke continues to rediscover his clear-headed talent.
