Caleb Clarke targets Super Rugby return after ruptured shoulder tendon ends South Africa tour

All Blacks and Blues winger Caleb Clarke has confirmed he ruptured a tendon in his shoulder during New Zealand’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour in South Africa, with the 27-year-old now targeting a return in the early rounds of Super Rugby Pacific 2027.

Clarke was sent home before the first Test after sustaining the injury in the second half of the midweek fixture against the Sharks in Durban. He played out the remainder of that match before post-match scans revealed the full extent of the damage — a ruptured tendon off the bone in his shoulder.

“Did a good job at getting one of the tendons off the bone in the shoulder,” Clarke said. “So thankful to all the people that put me back together again, and now I’ve got a lot of time to build to a really important year next year.”

Speaking on the Sky Sport Breakdown panel on Sunday, Clarke indicated he is still a few months from full fitness but is optimistic about his timeline. “I’ll be back hopefully round two or three of Super Rugby Pacific next year,” he said.

Despite the setback, Clarke was positive about the environment All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has built within the squad. Rennie, who has been open about his data-driven selection philosophy and emphasis on player work rate, drew praise from Clarke for fostering both competition and camaraderie.

“I give so much credit to Rens and all the management that created such a great environment, not only for someone like myself, but for everyone to really thrive and compete for those spots,” Clarke said.

“Whether we’re putting our best foot forward in the gym, out in the community, just making sure that we’re putting in the hard yards, but at the same time we’re having a lot of fun. Rennie did a great job in making sure that we were really competing against each other, but also making sure we were putting that team first.”

Clarke, who started on the left wing for Rennie’s first Test in charge against France in Christchurch and featured off the bench against Ireland in Auckland, will now look to use the extended recovery period to build towards what he described as “a really important year” in 2027.