Here’s a bold statement: One All Black is taking an unconventional approach to outshine his teammates, and it’s raising eyebrows across the rugby world. But here’s where it gets controversial—Caleb Clarke, the Blues and All Blacks wing, is spending his summer break training with the Sydney Swans, an AFL club, instead of sticking to traditional rugby drills. Why? Because he believes mastering a rival sport’s skills could be the secret weapon to elevate his game.
Clarke, a die-hard fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, isn’t new to this cross-code training. He’s previously joined the Rabbitohs during the off-season to focus on general conditioning. This time, though, he’s diving into Aussie Rules, a sport notorious for its grueling running tests and aerial prowess. As he recently shared on Instagram, ‘Same grind, different arena,’ alongside photos of him in the Swans’ red training kit.
And this is the part most people miss—Clarke’s move isn’t just about fitness. It’s a strategic play to sharpen his aerial game, a relative strength of his but a glaring weakness for many of his All Blacks teammates last year. The team’s inability to consistently claim high balls was a key factor in their defeats to the Springboks, Argentina, and England in 2025. The latter, a crushing 33-19 loss at Twickenham, dashed their Grand Slam dreams.
Rule changes in rugby have made contesting high balls more competitive, leading to an increase in kicking during Test matches. The All Blacks, however, have struggled to adapt. After the England Test, Clarke pointed out, ‘They’ve taken away the protection. Now it’s a competition… It’s on us to get our hands high and catch the ball cleanly.’
Aussie Rules players are among the best in the world at claiming high kicks—a skill that’s increasingly valuable in rugby. Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox even worked with the All Blacks before their Ireland Test in Chicago. But here’s the controversial question: Should the All Blacks invest in long-term specialist support for aerial skills, especially with a grueling 2026 Test year ahead, including four matches against the Springboks?
Head coach Scott Robertson has his work cut out for him. The team’s 2025 review highlighted inconsistencies and exposed their aerial flaws, particularly in their record defeat to the Boks in Wellington. ‘They owned that area and put so much pressure on us,’ Robertson admitted. Meanwhile, New Zealand Rugby is in turmoil, searching for a new chief executive and high-performance manager after recent resignations.
What do you think? Is Clarke’s cross-code training a stroke of genius or a distraction? Should the All Blacks prioritize specialist coaching for aerial skills? And could Ronan O’Gara, the former Ireland player now coaching in France, be a wildcard solution? Let us know in the comments—this debate is far from over.
