Weighing up to 110kg and standing 1.88m Don Clarke was literally a giant of his age and remains one of the biggest All Black backs.

First selected to play for his province at the age of 17 in 1951, Clarke became a Waikato great. His performance in a 14-10 victory against the touring Springboks in 1956 left no doubt that an All Black jersey was just around the corner. The physically imposing full-back made his debut in the third test of that Springbok series and went on to play 89 times for New Zealand, including 31 test matches, from 1956-64.

In 1959 Clarke beat the British and Irish Lions all by himself, slotting a then world record six penalties in an 18-17 win in the first test in Dunedin. Revered for his goal-kicking, he earned the nickname 'the Boot', scoring 781 points, a record for 24 years until broken by Grant Fox in 1988.