A place in final caps fine season for Parkes

HADLEIGH Parkes has proved big in Japan, with the Wales international’s stock rising further still with an accomplished display that helped his team into the Top League final.

Parkes and his Panasonic Wild Knights defeated Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz 48-21 to book their spot in the showpiece against Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo next Sunday.

Beauden Barrett fired Suntory into Japanese rugby’s biggest game with 21 points as they defeated Kubota Spears 26-9 in Osaka.

But the try of the day came in the first semi-final, with Parkes triggering a wonderful touchdown.

From the kick-off, the 29-cap centre received the ball at pace five metres from his own line and made ground himself before sending out a beautiful 20-metre miss-pass to wing Kenki Fukuoka.

The flyer surged clear, exchanged passes with supporting full-back Ryuji Noguchi and outpaced Willie Le Roux for the score.

Just 29 seconds were on the clock when Fukuoka crossed the line.

Despite the final scoreline, the match was well contested for much of the game, with Verblitz trailing by just six points with 10 minutes to play. But three quick tries took the Knights clear.

Japan international Fukuoka finished with a hat-trick of touchdowns, with fellow Test man Rikiya Matsuda contributing 21 points. Some of the scores called to mind memories of Japan’s edge-of-the-seat rugby that thrilled so many at the last World Cup.

For Parkes, a man who didn’t play a bad game for Wales and shone in the World Cup, next weekend’s final will be the icing on a superb campaign in the Far East. He went into the last-four clash having scored six tries himself over the season and supplied six assists.

But the game against Suntory will be another significant challenge.

All Blacks playmaker Barrett got the job done with the boot in the second last-four clash, opening the scoring for Suntory with a drop-goal and then punishing opposition indiscipline with six penalties.

There was emotion after Parkes’ match, with Verblitz No. 8 Kieran Read announcing his retirement. The New Zealand forward is an all-time great.

Read said in a social media post: “I’m looking forward to returning to New Zealand and spending time with my family.’’