Don Clarke
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Donald Barry Clarke (November 10, 1933–December 29, 2002) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 89 times (31 of these were test matches) as an All Black from 1956 until 1964. He was best known for his phenomenal goal kicking ability that earned him the nickname "The Boot".
Clarke was first selected to play rugby for the Waikato rugby team at the age of 17 in 1951.
In 1956 he helped the Waikato side to a 14-10 victory over the touring South African Springbok side. This helped his cause in being selected to play in the third All Black test match of the Springbok tour.
Over his entire All Black career Clarke scored 781 points, a record that stood for 24 years until it was broken by Grant Fox in 1988.
Clarke had four brothers, Ian, Doug, Brian and Graeme all of whom also represented Waikato. Only once did they all appear for Waikato in the same match, at Te Aroha in 1961.
Clarke also represented Auckland and Northern Districts at cricket.
Clarke moved to South Africa in the 1970s. In 1997, Clarke was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident, when a 15-tonne truck hit his utility vehicle.
Diagnosed with melanoma in March 2001, which he eventually died of on December 29, 2002.
External links
- Cricket.org: Statistics for Donald Clarke (http://www.cricket.org/link_to_database/PLAYERS/NZ/C/CLARKE_DB_05021983/)