Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes is leaving Scarlets for a new career in Japan with Panasonic Wild Knights. The New Zealand-born player became eligible for Wales in 2017 and scored two tries on his debut against South Africa.
Parkes played 29 internationals for Wales and was part of the 2019 Grand Slam-winning side and the team that reached the World Cup semi-finals the same year. In his BBC Sport column, Parkes reflects on his time in Wales and explains why it was the right time to move to Japan which signals the end of his international career.
Wales is a pretty special place. It is a beautiful country, it has a proud rugby heritage and it has wonderful, passionate people.
For my wife Suzy and me, it has been an incredible six seasons in Wales. We have loved every moment of it both on and off the rugby field.
It is where our daughter Ruby was born last year, it is where we have made lifelong friends who have become like family to us and it is a country we have loved exploring every corner of. It has felt like home to us.
If you had told me in 2014 when we rocked up, the journey that we would go on in Wales, I simply wouldn’t have believed you. It has been incredible.
I have loved playing in front of the Scarlets faithful week in and week out. It is such a great club and winning the Pro12 title in 2017 was huge and great reward for all our loyal supporters.
The Scarlets supporters have been amazing and some of the big European away trips have felt like home matches thanks to them following the team in their thousands. They are a proud bunch and I have loved being a Scarlet.
Playing for Wales has been a huge honour.
To represent the country, to wear that famous jersey and to give everything you have whilst in it has been an incredible experience.
The support I have had from across the nation has been overwhelming and I have been so proud to play my part.
Every international match is a huge event, tens of thousands flock to Cardiff and the atmosphere on matchday is like no other – it is very special.
I was incredibly proud to play at the World Cup and I will never forget that rain-soaked day at Principality Stadium last year when we got our hands back firmly on the Six Nations trophy.
Our time in Wales, though, has come to an end. As a family we have made the hard rugby decision to leave the country we have fallen in love with and to head to Japan where a new adventure awaits.
It certainly wasn’t a quick or easy decision but when you have to weigh up your family’s future, it is an incredible opportunity for us and we are really excited about what lies ahead.
I was lucky enough to spend eight or nine weeks in Japan last year. It is a special country and we are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the culture and the lifestyle.
I’m excited to get back on the field with the opportunity to play with the Panasonic Wild Knights. The Panasonic club has great history and big ambitions so it is an exciting time to be joining them.
As we get ready to leave Wales we would like to thank everyone that has played a part in our time here. Supporters, team-mates, management and all our friends have made our time here so special. It will be hard leaving.
I would also like to thank Suzy for her continued support and for allowing me to follow my rugby dream – I’m excited about our next chapter.
Stay safe at this time, everyone. Diolch yn fawr, Hadleigh, Suzy and Ruby.
