Clarke broke his ankle half-an-hour into Saints’ first GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP match against Newcastle on September 3rd. It has been a long road back to fitness but now the centre is relishing pulling on the jersey and getting stuck into the action.

“I’m a little bit nervous but definitely looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m not worried about my ankle. It’s just the little things you kind of forget, like positioning in the game. It has been a long while and it’s a long day waiting for a 7:30 kick-off!

“As soon as we get to the changing room and sample the atmosphere I’ll calm down a lot.

“I’m especially looking forward to playing alongside the good bunch of young lads we have here. Grant Anderson and Adam Barnard in particular have been playing really well and I’m excited to be playing with them.”

In recent weeks Clarke has played an increasing role in training, the culmination of which is the match practice he’ll get tonight. He certainly appreciates the involvement he’s had on the training pitches.

“It’s been a good feeling training with the first team and hopefully a few of the guys will be along tonight,” he says. “And because I’ve been training with them I still feel part of the squad.”

Rarely do professional rugby players enjoy watching their club mates from the stands. Clarke is no different.

“It’s been hard,” he says. “I hate watching from the sidelines and feel more nervous watching than playing! That’s because there’s nothing you can do to affect how the game is going. You become like a fan really!”

WANDERERS TEAM TO FACE SALE JETS
Guinness ‘A’ League; Franklin’s Gardens; Wednesday, April 11; Kick-off 7:30pm
15 Will Harries
14 Matt O’Regan
13 Jon Clarke
12 Adam Barnard
11 Grant Anderson
10 Dan Lavery
9 John Brake
1 Charlie Beech
2 Dan Richmond
3 Tom Laws
4 Phil Hoy
5 James Cannon
6 Beyers Visagie
7 Ollie Brown
8 Matt Burke

Replacements:
Joe Grey, Owen Giles, Josh Ives, Jack Marczewski, Dom Wareing.