Former Wales star Hadleigh Parkes was close to returning to Japan recently to turn out for division three newcomers Secom Rugguts.
Parkes, 37, who won 29 caps for Wales, left the Scarlets in 2020 to join Robbie Deans’ Saitama Wild Knights and won the inaugural League One season in his second year at the club in 2022.
The Hunterville-born centre, who was part of the Wales team who narrowly lost to South Africa in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Japan, joined Black Rams Tokyo in 2022 for two years and returned home to New Zealand in 2024.
Parkes played for Manawatu in the NPC last year and recently moved to Auckland to rejoin amateur side Grammar Tec who he last represented in 2014.
The ex-Scarlets star, who won the Pro14 in 2017 under Wayne Pivac, was recently approached for a shock return to Japan by injury-hit Secom Rugguts who are coached by ex-New Zealand and Japan sevens international Scott Pierce.
Promotion-chasing Rugguts are currently second in in Japan’s third tier with a youthful squad that also features former Super Rugby star Chase Tiatia and Welsh international Cory Hill as their two highest-profile overseas players.
The top two sides at the end of the season will play the two sides at the bottom of the second division in a two-leg promotion-relegation series and were keen to bolster their ranks by luring Parkes back to Japan.
RugbyJP.com understands that the complication in the deal was that Parkes’ Japan visa had recently expired which led to them narrowly missing out on his marquee signature.
With only eight weeks left in the season and the turnaround time required for a new application, the deal become less likely and the well-travelled Palmerston North Boys High School is currently set for a return to grassroots rugby in his homeland.
Parkes told RugbyJP: “I would have been keen to return to Japan for some more time. The family really enjoyed it over there and I enjoyed the rugby.
“I'm playing club footy for my old club, Grammar Tec, back from when I was last back in NZ but just enjoying that and will see if anything happens and can decide then if I want to do it.”
The Rugguts host fifth-placed Saitama rivals Yakult Levins Toda on Saturday at Ashikaga Athletic Stadium in Tochigi.
Pictures courtesy of JRLO
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