Don Clarke soon drove terror into the hearts of the opposition with his prodigious kicking. Because of his size he was deemed too big to play school football. So he played netball for Ngarua school instead and club rugby for Kereone third grade (under 18) when only 12 years old! By the time he was 17 he had come via the Te Aroha College first XV to be well versed in senior play as he had represented Kereone, Morrinsville and then in 1951, Waikato. He naturally attracted considerable attention, especially when he kicked those two goals out of the Whangarei mud to help Waikato to win the coveted Ranfurly Shield. Some of the critics, however, didn't see his potential and suggested he should be put in the forwards, but his father encouraged him to hold firm his ambition to be a fullback. It was also his father who had helped the then 10 year old get over his first big disappointment - turning up too late to play in the Taranaki primary school trial. "We had hiked 12 miles only to find the trials were over, but I can still remember how my father comforted me with advice I carried right through my playing career - 'there is always another chance'. He prepared all five of us for the hard knocks and disappointments that go hand in hand with the excitement and thrills of rugby." The NZ Rugby Almanack commented on his 1951 debut -"While Don Clarke rendered fine service to his union, he appeared rather too cumbersome to be able to reach much farther than inter-union standard." How he proved them wrong as he went on to become a dynamic force in the game here and overseas!

Records started to go his way, but knee and back injuries kept him off the scene for lengthy periods in 1952 and 1955 and so his points gathering could have been even greater. He had lost form in 1954 and Dick Adam was preferred in several matches. Long sessions after afternoon milking, with special support from Ian, saw Don regain confidence before the 1956 season. "We worked hard, all of us. The five boys had built rough weights - a bar of old piping with heavy chunks of wood at each end - to help us gain essential strength. Ian often packed down against rough fence posts to toughen his shoulders. Doug, a utility back, helped with the hours of handling and kicking practice, while Brian and Graemc were building towards their representative careers. It was the longest summer of my life."

He returned to the fray in 1956 and soon gave lie to the fact he was slow moving. His first contact with the Springboks left no doubt an All Black jersey was just around the corner. His kicking skills staggered the tourists while he showed he was a lot quicker than they had been led to believe. However, he had to wait, like several others, until the third test for his international debut and history shows he had instant success. The fourth test was another triumph for him. He appeared three times against the Boks and scored eight points each time. The fullback position was his for a further eight years and 30 tests.

Following his 1956 triumph, Clarke went on a scoring spree in Australia in 1957. He played against Australia again in 1958 then hit the headlines with a then-world record six penalty goals that enabled the All Blacks to edge out the British Isles 18-17 in the Dunedin test of 1959. The British Press went crazy as the Lions had scored four tries. Then to really rub in his points scoring ability, Don scored the try that won the second test at Wellington. The British never forgot him.

And so to South Africa in 1960. The home sides were waiting for him and it proved to be a tough tour. He became a prime target for late tackles, but he came through like the colossus he was. He played a big part in the second test victory and then converted a try in the dying stages to draw the third.

He played tests against France in 1961 and kicked 16 points in Waikato's 22-3 success against the explosive tourists. Home and away tests with Australia were the main items of 1962 and in 1963 he opposed England in tests at Auckland and Christchurch. On the 1963-64 tour to the British Isles and France he appeared in all five tests. He was all set to take on the Springboks once more, but the troublesome knee had the final say.

He finished with 781 points, eight tries, 173 conversions, 120 penalty goals, 15 dropped goals, two goals from a mark, in his 89 matches for New Zealand, which included 31 tests.

Don represented North Island from 1956-59, 61-64. He had NZ trials in 1953, 56-63 and played for a NZ XV in 1958.

One of five brothers to play for Waikato (1953-64 All Black Ian was one of the five) Don Clarke was also a talented cricketer, representing Waikato, Auckland and Northern Districts as a lively quick bowler. Weighing up to 17st. 7lbs (110kg) and standing 6'2" (1.88m) he remains one of the biggest All Black backs.

After his retirement, Don selected and coached Waikato secondary school representative sides.

Emigrated to South Africa in the 1970s and rarely returned to his native country after establishing a tree-felling business and played host to many Waikato and All Black supporters.

Clarke was seriously injured in a car crash in 1997 when his utility vehicle was crushed by a 15-tonne truck.

Diagnosed with melanoma in March 2001.

Profile courtesy Waikato RFU.

FULL NAME

Donald Barry Clarke

BORN

Friday, 10 November 1933 in Pihama

DIED

Sunday, 29 December 2002 in Johannesburg

PHYSICAL

1.88m, 110kg

POSITION

Fullback

LAST SCHOOL

Te Aroha College

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Kereone

PROVINCE

Waikato

RUGBY NICKNAME

Camel

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 18 August 1956
v South Africa at Christchurch
aged 22 years, 282 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 18 August 1956
v South Africa at Christchurch
aged 22 years, 282 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 29 August 1964
v Australia at Wellington
aged 30 years, 293 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

31 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

58 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

89 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

207pts (2t, 33c, 38p, 5dg, 2m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

574pts (6t, 140c, 82p, 10dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

781pts (8t, 173c, 120p, 15dg, 2m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

580

The All Black Games that Clarke played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1956

 18 Aug vs South Africa at Christchurch 17-10  

 1 Sep vs South Africa at Auckland 11-5  

1957

 18 May vs N.S.W. at Sydney 19-3  

 25 May vs Australia at Sydney 25-11  

 28 May vs Queensland at Brisbane 30-0  

 1 Jun vs Australia at Brisbane 22-9  

 5 Jun vs New England at Gunnedah 38-14  

 8 Jun vs Newcastle at Newcastle 20-9  

 12 Jun vs South-West Zone at Grenfell 86-0  

 15 Jun vs A.C.T. at Canberra 40-8  

 17 Jun vs Australian Barbarians at Sydney 23-6  

 19 Jun vs Riverina at Wagga Wagga 48-11  

 22 Jun vs Victoria at Melbourne 28-3  

 26 Jun vs South Australia at Adelaide 51-3  

 29 Jun vs Canterbury at Christchurch 9-11  

1958

 23 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 25-3  

 20 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 17-8  

1959

 18 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 18-17  

 15 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 11-8  

 29 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 22-8  

 19 Sep vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 6-9  

1960

 14 May vs N.S.W. at Sydney 27-0  

 17 May vs N.S.W. Country at Orange 38-6  

 28 May vs Northern Universities at Potchefstroom 45-6  

 31 May vs Natal at Durban 6-6  

 8 Jun vs South-West Africa at Windhoek 27-3  

 11 Jun vs Boland at Wellington 16-0  

 18 Jun vs Northern Transvaal at Pretoria 27-3  

 25 Jun vs South Africa at Johannesburg 0-13  

 2 Jul vs Rhodesia at Salisbury 29-14  

 6 Jul vs Orange Free State at Bloemfontein 8-9  

 13 Jul vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 16-3  

 16 Jul vs Western Province at Cape Town 20-8  

 19 Jul vs South-Western Districts at Oudtshoorn 18-6  

 23 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 11-3  

 30 Jul vs Eastern Transvaal at Springs 11-6  

 6 Aug vs Transvaal at Johannesburg 19-3  

 9 Aug vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 28-3  

 13 Aug vs South Africa at Bloemfontein 11-11  

 17 Aug vs North-Eastern Districts at Aliwal North 15-6  

 20 Aug vs Border at East London 30-3  

 27 Aug vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth 3-8  

 3 Sep vs A Transvaal XV at Johannesburg 9-3  

 1 Oct vs Rest of New Zealand at Wellington  20-8  

1961

 22 Jul vs France at Auckland 13-6  

 5 Aug vs France at Wellington 5-3  

 19 Aug vs France at Christchurch 32-3  

1962

 16 May vs Central-Western Districts at Bathurst 41-6  

 19 May vs N.S.W. at Sydney 11-12  

 22 May vs Queensland at Brisbane 15-5  

 26 May vs Australia at Brisbane 20-6  

 30 May vs Northern N.S.W. at Quirindi 103-0  

 2 Jun vs Newcastle at Newcastle 29-6  

 4 Jun vs Australia at Sydney 14-5  

 9 Jun vs Southern N.S.W. at Canberra 58-6  

 16 Jun vs Victoria at Melbourne 58-3  

 25 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 9-9  

 8 Sep vs Australia at Dunedin 3-0  

 22 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 16-8  

1963

 25 May vs England at Auckland 21-11  

 1 Jun vs England at Christchurch 9-6  

 23 Oct vs Oxford University at Oxford 19-3  

 26 Oct vs Southern Counties at Hove 32-3  

 30 Oct vs Newport at Newport 0-3  

 2 Nov vs Neath and Aberavon at Port Talbort 11-6  

 6 Nov vs Abertillery and Ebbw Vale at Abertillery 13-0  

 9 Nov vs London Counties at London 27-0  

 13 Nov vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 20-6  

 16 Nov vs South of Scotland at Hawick 8-0  

 23 Nov vs Cardiff at Cardiff 6-5  

 27 Nov vs Pontypool and Cross Keys at Pontypool 11-0  

 30 Nov vs South-Western Counties at Exeter 38-6  

 3 Dec vs Midland Counties at Coventry 37-9  

 7 Dec vs Ireland at Dublin 6-5  

 21 Dec vs Wales at Cardiff 6-0  

1964

 4 Jan vs England at London 14-0  

 11 Jan vs North-Eastern Counties at Harrogate 17-11  

 14 Jan vs North of Scotland at Aberdeen 15-3  

 18 Jan vs Scotland at Edinburgh 0-0  

 22 Jan vs Leinster at Dublin 11-8  

 29 Jan vs South-Eastern Counties at Bournemouth 9-6  

 1 Feb vs France B at Toulouse 17-8  

 5 Feb vs South-West France at Bordeaux 23-0  

 8 Feb vs France at Paris 12-3  

 12 Feb vs South-East France at Lyon 8-5  

 15 Feb vs Barbarians at Cardiff 36-3  

 24 Feb vs British Columbia at Vancouver 39-3  

 22 Aug vs Australia at Christchurch 18-3  

 29 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 5-20  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs South Africa, 18 Aug 1956

-

1

2

-

8

vs South Africa, 1 Sep 1956

-

1

2

-

8

vs N.S.W., 18 May 1957

-

2

1

-

7

vs Australia, 25 May 1957

-

2

3

-

13

vs Queensland, 28 May 1957

2

2

1

1

16

vs Australia, 1 Jun 1957

-

2

-

-

7

vs New England, 5 Jun 1957

-

4

2

-

14

vs Newcastle, 8 Jun 1957

-

1

4

-

14

vs South-West Zone, 12 Jun 1957

-

13

2

-

32

vs A.C.T., 15 Jun 1957

1

5

1

-

16

vs Australian Barbarians, 17 Jun 1957

-

4

-

-

8

vs Riverina, 19 Jun 1957

-

6

3

-

21

vs Victoria, 22 Jun 1957

-

2

2

-

10

vs South Australia, 26 Jun 1957

-

1

1

-

5

vs Canterbury, 29 Jun 1957

-

-

2

-

6

vs Australia, 23 Aug 1958

-

2

-

-

4

vs Australia, 20 Sep 1958

-

1

4

-

14

vs British & Irish Lions, 18 Jul 1959

-

-

6

-

18

vs British & Irish Lions, 15 Aug 1959

1

1

-

-

5

vs British & Irish Lions, 29 Aug 1959

-

2

1

1

10

vs British & Irish Lions, 19 Sep 1959

-

-

2

-

6

vs N.S.W., 14 May 1960

-

3

2

-

12

vs N.S.W. Country, 17 May 1960

-

4

5

-

23

vs Northern Universities, 28 May 1960

-

6

3

-

21

vs Natal, 31 May 1960

1

-

-

-

3

vs South-West Africa, 8 Jun 1960

-

3

1

-

9

vs Boland, 11 Jun 1960

-

2

-

-

4

vs Northern Transvaal, 18 Jun 1960

-

3

4

-

18

vs Rhodesia, 2 Jul 1960

-

4

2

-

14

vs Orange Free State, 6 Jul 1960

-

1

-

-

2

vs Eastern Province, 13 Jul 1960

-

2

1

-

7

vs Western Province, 16 Jul 1960

-

1

3

1

14

vs South-Western Districts, 19 Jul 1960

-

-

1

-

3

vs South Africa, 23 Jul 1960

-

1

1

1

8

vs Eastern Transvaal, 30 Jul 1960

-

1

1

1

8

vs Transvaal, 6 Aug 1960

-

2

2

-

10

vs Western Transvaal, 9 Aug 1960

-

2

3

1

16

vs South Africa, 13 Aug 1960

-

1

2

-

8

vs North-Eastern Districts, 17 Aug 1960

-

-

4

-

12

vs Border, 20 Aug 1960

-

3

2

-

12

vs South Africa, 27 Aug 1960

-

-

1

-

3

vs A Transvaal XV, 3 Sep 1960

-

-

1

-

3

vs Rest of New Zealand, 1 Oct 1960

-

1

1

1

8

vs France, 22 Jul 1961

-

2

-

1

7

vs France, 5 Aug 1961

-

1

-

-

2

vs France, 19 Aug 1961

-

4

3

-

17

vs Central-Western Districts, 16 May 1962

-

2

3

-

13

vs N.S.W., 19 May 1962

-

1

1

-

5

vs Queensland, 22 May 1962

-

-

2

-

6

vs Australia, 26 May 1962

-

1

1

1

8

vs Northern N.S.W., 30 May 1962

-

10

1

-

23

vs Newcastle, 2 Jun 1962

-

4

-

-

8

vs Australia, 4 Jun 1962

-

1

2

-

8

vs Southern N.S.W., 9 Jun 1962

1

4

5

-

26

vs Victoria, 16 Jun 1962

-

5

-

-

10

vs Australia, 25 Aug 1962

-

-

2

-

6

vs Australia, 8 Sep 1962

-

-

1

-

3

vs Australia, 22 Sep 1962

-

2

-

-

4

vs England, 25 May 1963

1

3

1

1

15

vs England, 1 Jun 1963

-

-

-

-

3

vs Oxford University, 23 Oct 1963

-

2

3

-

13

vs Southern Counties, 26 Oct 1963

-

1

3

2

17

vs Neath and Aberavon, 2 Nov 1963

-

1

-

-

2

vs Abertillery and Ebbw Vale, 6 Nov 1963

-

2

-

-

4

vs London Counties, 9 Nov 1963

1

3

-

-

9

vs Cambridge University, 13 Nov 1963

-

1

1

1

8

vs South of Scotland, 16 Nov 1963

-

1

-

-

2

vs Cardiff, 23 Nov 1963

-

-

1

-

3

vs Pontypool and Cross Keys, 27 Nov 1963

-

1

-

-

2

vs South-Western Counties, 30 Nov 1963

-

4

1

-

11

vs Midland Counties, 3 Dec 1963

-

5

-

1

13

vs Ireland, 7 Dec 1963

-

-

1

-

3

vs Wales, 21 Dec 1963

-

-

1

-

3

vs England, 4 Jan 1964

-

1

2

-

8

vs North-Eastern Counties, 11 Jan 1964

-

1

2

-

8

vs Leinster, 22 Jan 1964

-

1

2

-

8

vs South-Eastern Counties, 29 Jan 1964

-

-

1

-

3

vs France B, 1 Feb 1964

-

1

-

-

2

vs South-West France, 5 Feb 1964

-

1

-

1

5

vs Barbarians, 15 Feb 1964

-

6

-

-

12

vs British Columbia, 24 Feb 1964

-

5

1

-

13

vs Australia, 22 Aug 1964

-

3

-

-

6

vs Australia, 29 Aug 1964

-

1

-

-

2

Totals

8

173

120

15

781

NB: includes two marks at three points

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Australia

11

9

1

1

-

15

13

1

75

British & Irish Lions

4

3

-

1

1

3

9

1

39

England

3

3

-

-

1

4

3

1

26

France

4

4

-

-

-

7

3

1

26

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

1

-

3

Scotland

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

South Africa

6

3

1

2

-

4

8

1

35

Wales

1

1

-

-

-

-

1

-

3

Totals

31

24

3

4

2

33

38

5

207