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Kiwi duo primed for Wales following World Cup exit
Two New Zealanders could play a key role in Wales’ re-build following their semi-final exit from the World Cup.
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Former Crusaders outside back Johnny McNicholl and ex-Hurricanes midfielder Willis Halaholo will both become available for international selection for Wales on residency grounds next year, when they will have lived in the country for three years.
The two 29-year-olds moved to Wales following the 2016 Super Rugby campaign, with McNicholl linking up with Scarlets, while Halaholo joined Cardiff Blues.
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Both men have featured regularly for their clubs since their arrivals in the United Kingdom, and would not be the only New Zealanders evident within the Welsh set-up.
Hunterville-born midfielder Hadleigh Parkes, formerly of the Blues, Hurricanes, Auckland and Manawatu, has won 24 caps for Wales since 2017 after shifting there three years beforehand, and has been an ever-present figure for the Welsh throughout this World Cup.
At the age of 32, though, it’s difficult to envisage the veteran playing internationally for much longer beyond 2019, making Halaholo an ideal replacement from next year onwards.
It’s the game no one wants to play – and TVNZ will not screen the All Blacks’ playoff for the #RWC2019 bronze medal with Wales on Friday night.#RWCFinal #RWCBronze #AllBlacks #WALvNZL #NZLvWAL https://t.co/8oSKVbby0b
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 28, 2019
Had it not been for injury, Parkes would have been joined in Japan by ex-Blues, Chiefs and Auckland playmaker Gareth Anscombe, who was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a knee injury during a warm-up fixture against England in August.
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McNicholl, who was born-and-raised in Christchurch, told WalesOnline last year that it would be an honour to represent Wales in test match rugby if he was ever presented with the opportunity.
“If I do get that opportunity, I would be very humbled and grateful and take it with both hands,” he said.
“I feel like, I’ve brought my partner over here, we’ve adapted the Welsh culture, we’ve lived here for three years. We’ve really embraced it.
“I’ve got a daughter now. She’s Welsh, she was born here, she’s going to pre-school here and I feel like if I do play for Wales, I’d be doing her and her home nation proud.”
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Wales will finish their World Cup campaign this Friday when they face the All Blacks in the third-and-fourth play-off match in Tokyo.
The fixture will act as Kiwi-born Warren Gatland’s final test as head coach of Wales, bringing an end to his 12-year tenure.
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He will be replaced next year by fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac, who coached both Parkes and Anscombe at Auckland between 2011 and 2014, and has coached McNicholl at Scarlets since 2016.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments