It’s not just Caleb Clarke’s sporting roots that run deep – which is why his first visit to Irish soil is proving so “exciting” for the All Blacks winger.
The 25-year-old is in line to win his 26th cap for New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night, but it will be the first time he has faced Ireland.
The Clarke side of his family provide him with rich sporting DNA, with his father Eroni having made 24 appearances for the All Blacks in the 1990s and his aunt Sheryl, Eroni’s sister, a netball world champion with New Zealand. On top of that, Caleb’s grandfather Iafeta Clarke played rugby for his native Samoa.
But it also provides him with a healthy dose of Irish heritage, with the Clarkes having originally travelled to Samoa from Belfast to grow potatoes.
“Northern Ireland is what I heard. Up north,” said Clarke when asked about his Irish roots.
“Before they came to Samoa as potato farmers, that’s about all I’ve got so far.
“It’s probably why I like Guinness. I’m not a drinker, but when I tried it I was like ‘Wow, that was so nice’.
“That’s all I’ve heard, they came in the early ‘20s or the ‘40s to Samoa and started potato farming and from there the Clarkes sort of grew.
“It’s quite exciting. I was speaking to my family before we left for the northern tour and my dad and my grandad reminded me that I’ve Irish roots in me and that’s where the Clarkes came from before coming to Samoa.
“So yeah, it’s really exciting. It’s my first time here in Ireland as well.”
Talk of previous meetings – with Ireland winning three of the past five clashes but the All Blacks emerging victorious from the most recent match in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final – has been variously talked up or dismissed by the camps in equal measure.
Having not been part of any of those games Clarke is at ease downplaying their relevance from a personal point of view, but insists that even among the wider group with plenty of experience of facing Ireland none of it will matter come Friday night.
“It’s not too relevant to be fair,” said Clarke of last year’s World Cup encounter.
“We sort of parked that to the side and moving forward we know how dangerous Ireland are as a team and what they bring. Playing here in Ireland is going to be a big task ahead.
“So, for us I think the quarter-final from last year has been pushed aside and we’re really focussing on what’s going to come and that’s a strong Irish team with strong Irish supporters, and we’ll be ready.
“I think the most important thing is what’s coming ahead and the big challenge that it’s going to be because we know there’s going to be a lot of fireworks out there whether that’s on the field or off the field, and we’ve just got to be prepared for all of that.”
Similarly, Ireland’s 2022 tour, which Andy Farrell’s men won 2-1 with their first ever victories on New Zealand soil, doesn’t register as a motivating factor for Clarke.
“I didn’t play in that series to be fair,” said the Blues winger.
“It would be on the boys’ mind but I think the most important thing is what’s coming ahead and the big challenge that it’s going to be because we know there’s going to be a lot of fireworks out there whether that’s on the field or off the field, and we’ve just got to be prepared for all of that.”
