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Marcelle Parkes returns to the Black Ferns: 'The nature of a prop is changing'
It started as a joke but now it’s serious. Marcelle Parkes has been contracted to the Black Ferns as a loosehead prop.
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The 26-year-old played five Tests for the Black Ferns between 2018 and 2019. She was last contracted in 2020 as a loose forward.
“Whitney Hansen joked about moving to the front row in the FPC. Initially, my response was, ‘Are you serious.’ Slowly the idea evolved, and I started training at prop,” Parkes told RugbyPass.
“In September 2023 I was selected for the Black Ferns XV as a prop, but I got injured before the Manusina match.
“It’s been a crazy half year getting up to speed. When I decided to give it a genuine shot most of my summer was spent training.
“My first official match as a prop was for Matatu in the pre-season of Aupiki. We got beaten 34-33 by Hurricanes Poua. I had to mark my friend and former Black Fern Leilani Perese, a really tough opponent.”
Parkes made four appearances off the bench for Matatu during the Aupiki season proper. She missed both encounters with Chiefs Manawa, but her last appearance was a winning one against Hurricanes Poua (37-17). She was competitive in two narrow defeats to eventual champions the Blues.
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“We didn’t have the season we hoped for missing the final, but we maintained the strong connections built in the past and finished positively with two wins. I’m sure if the season had gone longer, we would have had more of an impact,” Parkes said.
“The biggest learning curve was the scrum and the different techniques, challenges, skills, and muscles involved with that.
“Lifting in the lineout wasn’t such a challenge as I had experience with that before at a loose forward.
“The nature of a prop is changing. It’s no longer a position where you just tick the scrumming box, though that’s essential. The ability to move around the field, make aggressive tackles, and carry strongly is all part of it.”
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Parkes’s conversion is not without precedent. Canterbury teammate Lucy Anderson switched from loose forward to prop and was capped in 2022. Regina Sheck started her rugby career as a rampaging No.8 before winning the Rugby World Cup as a prop in 1998 and 2002.
England’s Poppy Cleall featured in 29 of England’s world record 30 consecutive Test victories between 2019 and 2022. Cleall has played loose forward and prop.
Perhaps the most famous loose forward to prop conversion was Casey Caldwell (nee Roberston). She swapped from No.8 to prop for the Black Ferns 2002 World Cup and played in 14 successive Test wins thereafter.
“Casey did a jersey presentation over Zoom I was part of one time. She was one of the hardest ladies going, no one messed with her. She’s undoubtedly an inspiration,” Parkes said.
In addition to the foresight of Hansen, a 2021 Rugby World Cup-winning assistant coach, Parkes is receiving tuition from Dan Cron, the son of Mike Cron, arguably the foremost scrum coach in the world.
Like his father, Dan has dedicated his rugby career to mastering the ‘dark arts.’ In 2005 Dan helped the Black Ferns win the Churchill Cup and returned for the 2010 Rugby World Cup success.
Between 2008 and 2022 he coached 224 Super Rugby games with the Blues and the Hurricanes. With the Hurricanes he made six consecutive playoff appearances and helped the Hurricanes win their inaugural Super Rugby title in 2016.
Cron has assisted Tonga and Samoa and coached professionally in Japan. In 2023 he helped Matatu win Super Rugby Aupiki. A mantra Cron abides by is: “Fitness makes a coward out of everyone.” In other words, “If you’re buggered, you’re useless.”
Another mentor for Parkes is her boyfriend of five years, Hurricanes loosehead prop Xavier Numia. Numia has been in imperious form for the unbeaten Super Rugby Pacific leaders.
“Xavier and I try to avoid rugby chat when we’re together but we love it and with me changing into his position we’ve had candle-lit dinners talking about scrums,” Parkes laughed.
“Xavier’s got a lot of knowledge and experience so I’m always picking his brain for whatever titbits I can get.”
A New Zealand age group netball and softball representative, Parkes started playing Sevens in 2015 to keep fit in the summer.
Parkes’s natural athleticism was tailor-made for Sevens, and when she first featured for Wellington at the National Sevens in January 2018 she was immediately earmarked for greater things.
On May 22, 2018, the first-ever group of 28 players awarded professional contracts for the Black Ferns was announced. The landmark arrangement included a guaranteed retainer, assembly fees, and a range of other benefits. Parkes was one of two Wellington players selected, along with Dhys Faleafaga.
Four days later she made her senior club debut for Marist St Pats against an Oriental-Rongotai side featuring a dozen Wellington Pride representatives. Parkes played centre and scored a try in a 22-36 defeat.
Parkes made eight appearances for Wellington. In 2021 she relocated to Christchurch. In 2022 she helped Canterbury win a Farah Palmer Cup Premiership and last year captained Canterbury. She was part of the Matat? Super Rugby Aupiki winning team in 2023.
The Black Ferns squad for the Pacific Four Series is announced in Taupo on April 30. The first Test match is against the USA at FMG Stadium in Hamilton on May 11.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben 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.
19 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.
7 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.
19 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?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
3 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments