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Hadleigh Parkes back in New Zealand, named on weekend NPC bench
By Liam Heagney
Former Wales midfielder Hadleigh Parkes is poised for NPC action this weekend in New Zealand after being confirmed as a new Manawatu Turbos signing and being named on their bench as 23rd man to take on Hawke’s Bay on Sunday. The soon to be 37-year-old finished up finished a four-season stint earlier this year in Japan League One, spending two years with Saitama Wild Knights after joining from Scarlets and then two more campaigns with Black Rams Tokyo.
It was last May when he most recently featured for the Rams, playing off their bench in a 45-18 loss to Toyota Verblitz which left them finishing the 2023/24 season in 10th place.
Having since holidayed post-season in Turkey and Greece, Parkes has now been unveiled as a Manawatu player for the remainder of an NPC campaign where the club are currently bottom of the 14-team tournament’s standings after losing their opening three matches.
A club post to social media said: “Look who's back. 29-Test Welsh international Hadleigh Parkes has returned home and is a Turbo again.”
It was 2010 when Parkes previously represented the province at NPC level, making 13 appearances before switching to Auckland. He then went on to play Super Rugby for the Blues, Southern Kings and the Hurricanes before moving to the Scarlets in 2014/15.
After qualifying for the Welsh national team in 2017 on serving a three-year residency period, he won 29 caps, including a 2019 Six Nations title win and featuring in their run to that year’s Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Now back home in New Zealand, Parkes has been named in a Turbos team where George Blake and Liam O'Connor are set to get their first starts.
Mosese Bason, a recent Baby Blacks pick at the World Rugby U20 Champions, could also make his debut off a bench that also includes Vernon Bason, who skippered Jono Gibbes team to a third-place finish at the age-grade tournament in South Africa.
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Latest Comments
Vaai is finally having his breakout year getting comfortable and showing great form at lock, and there are form players and experience all across the backrow, why on earth would you drop him to 6. Ridiculous
Go to commentsSo far, the All Blacks have won 8 matches out of 11 this year. That is a near 73% win rate. AB fans and, I assume, the team itself are not content with that and have everything to play for with the remaining 3 tests this year.
Their historical average is something like 77% these days and, although some years will always be better than others it is not likely to drop that dramatically to 70% any time soon. There is too much historical inertia on the stats. It is like saying Ireland’s form of the last 10 years or so is likely to reverse a historical average of 48% wins soon. It just isn’t.
Moreover, when you say they are ‘doomed’ to a 70% flatline are you not just assuming that Ireland will beat them again? How did that work out for you last time?
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