Family talents not always evenly shared
IS being a son of an All Black an advantage or a hinderance in making the national team?
In reality it is neither.
To get into the All Blacks the one and only consideration is talent.
Ability is the sole criterion of making the national side. It is not like many jobs where family connections can get more than a foot in the door.
The genes one is given may have come from an All Black but it means nothing in making the All Blacks.
Caleb Clarke was the 21st son of an All Black to play for the national team when he debuted against Australia a couple of weeks ago.
Clarke is All Black number 1187. So 21 out of 1187 have been All Blacks like their dads. Obviously, there were a few at the start who could not be sons of All Blacks because their dads had not been able to play for an as yet nonexistent national team.
But under 2% of all those who have worn the All Black jersey followed in their father’s footsteps. Not a huge number.
Brothers playing for the national team are far more common. There are 47 sets of brothers who have played for the All Blacks. Many greats, too — Meads, Brownlie, Barrett, Clarke . . . the list goes on.
In the list of 21 who have been All Black fathers and sons, there are relatively few pairs who were both topline All Blacks.
Think of All Black greats and their offspring who made little impact.
Colin Meads had five children. One son, Glynn, or Pinecone, as he was named, played 100plus games for King Country and got in a national emerging players squad but no black jersey for him.
Brian Lochore’s son, David, once played for Otago Country, but he had a farm to run.
Kel Tremain’s sons were handy players but never got near the black jersey.
Sean Fitzpatrick played 92 tests for the All Blacks and his father, Brian, a second fiveeighth in the early 1950s, played 22 matches, including three tests, which in those days was a fair few.
But most pairs had one or the other: a firstchoice All Black for a significant period while father or son made a brief appearance in the black jersey.
Fergie McCormick played 43 games for the All Blacks including 16 tests while his dad, Archie, made one appearance for the All Blacks in 1925, a game in New South Wales against an invitational team.
Joe Stanley played 27 tests and was a class centre while his son Jeremy just got to play three matches on a tour of the United Kingdom.
Joe Stanley’s midfield All Black colleague Warwick Taylor was a mainstay in the All Black backline for a while but his son, Tom, started just one test.
Ross Brown was one of the most talented backs to play for the All Blacks in the 20year period after World War 2 and his father, Handley Brown, played 20 matches for the All Blacks but never played a test.
Actually, Handley explains the main reason why many sons or fathers do not play many tests.
It is simply very hard to make the All Blacks.
Things have to go for you and you have to be a very good player. For that to happen twice in the same family is rare.
Handley Brown was a quality back but to get into the test side he had to unseat Bert Cooke and Fred Lucas. Cooke is seen as an All Black great while Lucas was better than handy.
Caleb Clarke has made an impressive start to his test career but it is going to be tough as the country has quality wingers everywhere.
His dad, Eroni Clarke, was a good provincial player who made the All Blacks when he was 23. He never held down a regular spot and after a forgettable effort against England in 1993 at Twickenham his cards were marked. He came back five years later but that also ended in tears.
Son Caleb will just be hoping it is not ‘‘like father, like son’’ for him.