| Born | Hadleigh William Parkes (1987-10-05)5 October 1987 (age 38) Hunterville, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft1+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (223 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Palmerston North Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Canterbury Lincoln University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hadleigh William Parkes (born 5 October 1987) is aNew Zealand-bornWelsh internationalrugby union player, whose favoured position is at the centre. He currently plays for theManawatu Turbos in theNational Provincial Championship.[1] Parkes also has a successful BBC sport rugby union column.
Parkes made his provincial debut in 2010 forManawatu. In 2011, he relocated to Auckland and in 2012 made his debut with theBlues.[1]
After one season with the Blues, he joined theSouthern Kings for the2013 season on a one-year contract.[2][3] After being an unused substitute in theSouthern Kings' first ever game against theForce,[4] he did make his debut for them by coming off the bench in their second game of the season against theSharks[5] and then started in their next three games. However, he suffered a broken arm in the Kings' match against theHurricanes inWellington[6] and was out of action for more than three months.[7] He made his return for the final match of the season, starting as a winger against theSharks.[8] He also played in both2013 Super Rugby promotion/relegation matches, failing to help the Kings retain their Super Rugby status.
He made his first of two appearances in the South African domestic Currie Cup competition in the opening fixture of the2013 Currie Cup First Division season, when he started the match against thePumas.[9]
He returned to New Zealand after the Super Rugby promotion/relegation matches to captainAuckland in the2013 ITM Cup.[10]
After the end of the2014 ITM Cup season, Parkes moved to theScarlets, one of the four professional Welsh regional teams.[11] He was reunited with former Auckland head coachWayne Pivac at the West Wales region.
Parkes made his debut off the bench in aEuropean Rugby Champions Cup match againstUlster. His first start came two weeks later in the West Wales derby against theOspreys. Parkes scored his first Scarlets try againstMunster, and he was also awarded man of the match for his performance in that game.[12] Then in 2016/2017 season he and the Scarlets won the Pro14 title with a win over Munster. That earned him a permanent place at centre for the Scarlets.
His good form at the start of the 2017/2018 season earned him his first Wales cap under the 3-year residence rule. He played a huge part in Scarlets coming 1st in the Pro14 and reaching the final losing to Leinster who they also lost to in the Champions Cup semi finals which Leinster won. Despite Wales having big success in 2018/2019, the Scarlets struggled and came 4th missing out on a Pro14 play off spots and missing out on the Champions Cup for the first time in years. Scarlets coachWayne Pivac departed for Wales with fellow New ZealanderBrad Mooar coming in but Parkes and his fellow Wales teammates have not played much of the 2019/2020 because of 2019 World Cup and 2020Six Nations.
In April 2020, Parkes left the Scarlets to join Japanese teamPanasonic Wild Knights, which would end his Wales and Scarlets career.[13] He played two seasons forPanasonic Wild Knights and then two more withBlack Rams Tokyo.[14]
In August 2024 Parkes rejoined theManawatu Turbos for the2024 Bunnings NPC.[15]
Parkes was selected in theWales national team for the 2017 Autumn International fixtures and made his debut in the final match againstSouth Africa on 2 December 2017, after he became eligible under the three years residence criteria; he played at inside centre and was named man of the match after scoring two tries. His form in the Autumn Internationals and for Scarlets saw him selected to start against Scotland, England, Ireland and Italy in the 2018 Six Nations Championship, scoring a try and earning the man of the match award against Italy.[16][17] On Saturday 16 March 2019 he scored Wales's only try in the second minute of their 25-7 Grand Slam victory over Ireland in Cardiff, courtesy of a crafty chip over the Irish defence from fly-half and fellow New ZealanderGareth Anscombe.
In 2019 he was called up for Wales for the 2019 Rugby World Cup squad where a he scored a try v Australia. Parkes played in 6 of the 7 games at the World Cup with Wales coming 4th, losing to eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals.
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Africa | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2017 Autumn Internationals | 2 December 2017 | Win |
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 |  Italy | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2018 Six Nations | 11 March 2018 | Win |
| 4 |  Ireland | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2019 Six Nations | 16 March 2019 | Win |
| 5 | Ireland | Dublin, Ireland | Aviva Stadium | 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches | 7 September 2019 | Loss |
| 6 |  Australia | Tokyo, Japan | Ajinomoto Stadium | 2019 Rugby World Cup | 29 September 2019 | Win |