Parkes: Wales can give the Boks a test

FORMER Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes believes Wayne Pivac’s side can hit top form on this summer’s tour of South Africa.

Wales endured a tough Six Nations, winning just one of their five games and finished with a first ever defeat to Italy.

Parkes, who won 29 caps, has kept a close eye on the side since moving to Japan in 2020 and believes with the players Pivac is bringing through, they’ll get back to their best.

He said: “I watched a lot of the Six Nations games and the highlights of the URC. There has been some good rugby played, and some tough results. But they’re building a lot of depth and Wayne’s blooded a lot of new players.

“It’s a big tour to South Africa and of course next year’s World Cup will be huge. I’m sure they’ll just continue to get better and better.

“Wayne and his coaching staff will have a plan in place. They have tried a lot of new players and combinations, so hopefully it’ll all go well for them. If they get the combinations right, there’s no reason Wales can’t do well at the World Cup and test South Africa.”

Parkes has been playing for the Saitama Wild Knights since leaving the Scarlets and last week was part of the side to win the Japan Rugby League One.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a good side,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players, so it’s been a pleasurable two seasons and I have loved every minute.

“Nearly every game is afternoon footy, so it’s a bit different to Super Rugby or playing up in the northern hemisphere. The weather is nice and sunny, so you get good running footy and there’s a lot of talent up here – the foreigners coming in and the Japanese boys as well.”

New Zealand-born Parkes believes the All Blacks are still in a good place despite back-to-back losses to Ireland and France in the autumn.

He said: “There’s a huge amount of talent in New Zealand. There’s a lot of depth across the board and there’s always players coming through. They’ll be there or thereabouts next year.”