Caleb Clarke

Caleb Clarke announced himself against Australia in 2020 with a series of carries that looked like a different sport, and has spent the time since managing what came next.

He is a genuinely rare physical type — a wing built like a back-rower who runs through contact rather than around it, and whose kick-return carries are among the most difficult single-handed situations in Test rugby to defend.

His father Eroni played for the All Blacks, and Caleb also spent a period pursuing Olympic sevens with New Zealand, which took him out of the fifteens picture at a point when he was establishing himself in it.

That decision is the interesting part of his record. Very few players interrupt a Test career that is already going well, and the return to fifteens took time.

He came through the Blues, where he was part of the 2024 Super Rugby title-winning side.

He was born in 1999. The physical profile is unusual enough that New Zealand keep finding a use for it.