Kiwi Parkes defends Wales switch
HADLEIGH PARKES was docking lamb tails at his 3,000-acre farm on New Zealand’s North Island three years ago, waiting for his British visa application to be accepted. Eventually it went through and on this day in 2014 he arrived in Wales. The timing could not have been more perfect, as today he makes his Test debut in Cardiff against South Africa. The 30-year-old centre (right), who dreamed of becoming an All Black, woke up Welsh this morning having completed three years of residency. ‘Some people probably have a bit to say about that,’ he said. ‘But you can’t blame the player for the opportunity he has been given. When my fiancee Suzanne and I first came over here, it was more to experience the northern hemisphere and to travel. It was about this time last year when I was looking at staying at the Scarlets or moving on and there were a few whispers saying that if I did stay around — and I did have a conversation with Warren Gatland — there could be an opportunity. ‘You don’t want to turn it down. It is a massive privilege to be given this opportunity.’ Back in Hunterville, New Zealand — 11,000 miles away — Parkes’s mother and father will be watching their son belt out Land Of My Fathers at three in the morning from the family sheep and beef farm. Cameras will pan across the debutant’s face as the anthem blares. Lucky then that fellow Scarlet Rhys Patchell has taught him about the new land of his fathers. ‘I’ve been having a few lessons from him,’ added Parkes. ‘He has sung it a couple of times for me and I’ve recorded him, so if he tries to stitch me up I can always go back to that! Hopefully the memory doesn’t fade on me.’ Parkes is a utility back, comfortable wearing any number above nine. Today he dons the No 12 shirt. Having spent 10 months playing in Port Elizabeth he has the inside scoop on the Springboks. There is pressure on him — and Wales. A defeat would cap a poor autumn, with three losses from four. This fourth Test, which is chiefly a money-spinner for the Welsh Rugby Union (thought to earn them £2.5million), takes on added significance, with Wales keen to discover whether their converted Kiwi can cut it on the road to the World Cup.