Young winger Caleb Clarke seized his first start in the black jersey with both hands this afternoon, causing nightmares for the Wallabies' defence with an unstoppable running game that spearheaded the All Blacks' 27-7 win.
Clarke stood out in his second Test and delighted a packed Coopers Catch Stadium in Auckland with his strength and speed.
After the All Blacks struck early in the second half through Jordie Barrett to lead 15-7, the Wallabies looked to get some territory with a kick. However the kick wasn't contested and Clarke managed to pull the ball in with ease, seeing plenty of space to work with in front of him. And boy did he work.
The youngster set off with a run through two Wallabies defenders, bursting into the Australian backfield before two more attempted to take him down.
Clarke did hit the deck but wasn't held by anyone, jumping back to his feet to continue his brilliant run. He fended off a fifth defender before he was finally brought down inside the Australian 22m.
With the Wallabies defence in tatters, the ball was quickly moved to the left wing where Ardie Savea eventually crossed over to score.
Clarke came off later in the match but was met with a standing ovation from the Auckland crowd for his performance.
He finished with impressive numbers, making 138 metres off eight runs having broken 11 tackles for two line breaks.
After the match, Clarke admitted he was nervous in the build up to the Test.
"I'm just happy it's all over now, it was a hard sleep last night," he said.
"I'm just glad we finished the week on a good note."
Clarke then joked his dad, former All Black Eroni, would have some pointers for him to improve though.
"I think I'll go home and he'll probably make me watch this [tonight]," Clarke said.
"I could get home at 12am and he'd make me sit down and watch it."
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