When the Irish were last in the Welsh capital two years ago the former Scarlets ace was very much the centre of attention with his second minute try paving the way for Warren Gatland’s third Grand Slam success. It was a ‘Super Saturday’ for Wales in every sense of the word.
Having taken his Welsh cap tally up to 29 throughout the 2019 World Cup and last year’s Six Nations, Parkes has since headed off to a new life in Japan with the Panasonic Wild Knights. He was due to play his first competitive game for them in the Top League this weekend, but that has now been delayed to 20 February.
“I’ll be watching the game on TV, hopefully, because technology has got the better of me so far here in Japan. My new team mate George Kruis is in charge of finding the game on TV – it’s a case of the blind leading the blind,” said Parkes.
“The Six Nations is such a great tournament and definitely too good to miss. I couldn’t get our TV working the other day and so I called up the You Tube highlights of the Grand Slam game against Ireland two years ago.
“That was a such a great occasion. Leaving the roof open, getting the start we did and getting on top of them are memories I will cherish. Five minutes into the second half I knew we weren’t going to lose that game.
“It was a great campaign for us and I just hope the boys can go out and do the same thing. It is always an honour and privilege to pull on that red jersey and I’m sure they will get stuck in.
“A good start against Ireland would be nice. I know results haven’t gone Wayne Pivac’s way so far, so I hope he can have a good Six Nations.
“It’s going to be a tight tournament, but there is a huge amount of talent in the Welsh squad. It took time at the Scarlets to play Wayne’s brand of footie and hopefully it will come with Wales.”
Ever since Parkes decided to head to Japan his old coach, Pivac, has been trying to find the right man to fill his position in the Welsh midfield. Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Johnny Williams and George North have all been given a run in a bid to find the best partner for Jonathan Davies.
Hadleigh Parkes in action with the Wild Knights
Davies has always thrived on playing with a regular centre partner – he started 46 times with Jamie Roberts for Wales and once with the British & Irish Lions and then played for region and country with Parkes .
“What a career Jonathan Davies has had so far – he will go down in history as one of the best. I’m sure he will be looking to nail down a third Lions tour this summer,” said Parkes.
“What he has done for club and country over a long period of time has been really impressive. He is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world in the 13 channel, but he is also a big, strong boy in attack with a big fend.
“I think Wayne Pivac has got a lot of good options in trying to finding the right man to play alongside him. Johnny Williams looks to have done well at the Scarlets, while Nick Tompkins had a great season last year and has a huge amount of potential.
“He is trying to get back to where he was last year. Owen Watkin is another with great potential and I’ve reading a few bits about his partnership with young Keiran Williams at the Ospreys.
“Owen and I got called up into the Welsh squad together and I’d love to see him succeed. It also sounds as though Jamie Roberts is going great guns as well and he could still do a great job. He’s only a few caps away from 100, so I’m sure he would love that.”
