There are players who progress serenely into Test rugby, barely pausing to consider their good fortune. Then there is Calum Clark, still uncapped almost three years after Stuart Lancaster named him in his senior England squad. If Clark gets on to the field at Twickenham over the next month his sense of relief will be palpable.
The Northampton flanker has occasionally been his own worst enemy, having been handed a 32-week ban following the grim 2012 incident which left the Leicester hooker Rob Hawkins with a broken elbow. Since that dark personal period, however, he has made a concerted effort to try to control his aggressive side and to also compete in a more measured and effective manner.
As Clark admitted this week, during England training’s camp at Bagshot, the work he has done with the renowned Dr Steve Peters – famous for identifying the inner chimp which can often shape individual behaviour – has been instrumental in his career upturn. “I went to see him a few times and took a lot from it,” said the 25-year-old. “The one-on-one sessions I had with him were really useful. I also read his book … it is something that grounds me when I am approaching the game.”
Clark’s chimp alter ego, he concedes, was “pretty aggressive, unwilling to listen and unwilling to learn”. Having been honest enough to acknowledge his attitude had to change, Clark wrote a dissertation on leadership as part of his business management degree at the University of Leeds – and also sought inspiration among his back-row peers.
“You look at all the good players and leaders in rugby – Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, Richie McCaw – and they seem to be emotionless on the field,” he says. “That doesn’t mean they play any less hard and that is what I didn’t really understand when I was young; the difference between playing hard and being emotional.
“I think I have matured a little bit and I am a lot more focused on playing well and getting the performance right. No one likes to lose but I am dealing with it better now than I used to.”
The 25-year-old Clark, a key member of the Northampton side who won last season’s Premiership title, may have to remain patient for a while longer with Robshaw and Wood likely to remain England’s starting flankers for next week’s autumn international against the All Blacks.
Lancaster, however, continues to have a high regard for a player he first encountered as a 14-year-old in the Leeds youth academy setup – despite having not picked him for last summer’s tour to New Zealand.
That disappointment also concentrated Clark’s mind: “I had to be more focused, more single-minded about going out there and performing.”
Consequently his fitness levels can now be compared to any of his rivals and no one was keener to show Lancaster what he could do in squad training sessions this week.
“Every time I get out on the training pitch I’ve got to represent myself as best as I can and put pressure on the lads,” Clark says. “I’m not here for a meal ticket or to make up the numbers. I want to make it count.”
An elusive first cap would also represent a decisive break from his hot-headed past. “It is personal. I want to do the best I can,” he admits. “There is a World Cup at the end of next year but, as yet, I have not got any caps.
“There is a long way to go. I am grateful for the opportunity to be here and I want to make the absolute most of it.”
