Rookie loose forward Parker bowled over by All Blacks shot

As a 6-ft-6in (1.97m) loose forward weighing around 120 kg, it takes a lot for Waikato Chief Simon Parker to be knocked off his stride.

But he was completely bowled over when New Zealand coach Scott Robertson came calling with an offer of the last spot on his 36-man squad for the Rugby Championship.

"I started shaking straight away and apologised for missing his first call. He was like, 'no dramas, congratulations and welcome'," Parker told Reuters on Wednesday.

"I was just speechless and kind of zoned out."

Despite a strong season in Super Rugby, 25-year-old Parker had no inkling he was in the frame for All Blacks selection.

An untimely ankle injury during the Super Rugby finals ruled him out of consideration for the July series against France but it never occurred to him he was on the selectors' radar anyhow.

Now the flanker is set to jump on a plane to Argentina, where the All Blacks meet the Pumas in Cordoba next week and Buenos Aires on August 23.

Robertson's eyes sparkled on Monday as he spoke of Parker's "intimidating" presence.

Parker said it was up to others to decide whether he was worthy of the term – but he would take Robertson's word as a compliment.

His versatility is also a plus as he strives for a debut in a group laden with quality loose forwards, including Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Samipeni Finau.

Parker can play in all of the back-row positions – and will play wherever he's wanted – but admits a fondness for the No 6 jersey once worn with distinction by one of his heroes, Jerome Kaino.

"I enjoy the line-out side of things, trying to beat the opposition and that kind of thing," he said.

"The teams I've been in, the six gets a lot of carries and ends up defending and getting a lot of tackles as well."

INJURY SETBACKS

Though only 25, it has been a long road for Parker to get to the top level, with plenty of injury setbacks.

He made his Chiefs debut under Warren Gatland near the end of the 2020 season but complex foot and shoulder injuries wiped out most of the next two years.

It was later tough breaking into a Chiefs back row boasting players like former All Blacks captain Sam Cane, Jacobson and Finau.

Parker has patiently negotiated the hurdles, though, and taken his chances as they come.

Though hard to imagine now, he was a flyhalf as a schoolboy while running around his father's dairy farm near a small town in Northland province.

He earned a scholarship to play at St Peter's Cambridge, a school in the Waikato region that developed Finau, All Blacks scrumhalf Cam Roigard and prop Ollie Norris.

But Parker was not sold on a career in the sport until pushed by his school coach Sean Hohneck, the former Chiefs lock.

"Growing up, all I wanted to do was farming," he said.

"And that still hasn't changed, I guess.

"But (Hohneck) sort of convinced me to carry on with rugby and give it a crack.

"I guess I probably didn't realise my potential."

His quality was confirmed in 2019 when he was picked for the "Baby Blacks" – New Zealand's squad for the world under-20 championship in Argentina.

Parker enjoyed a bit of Argentine steak on that tour, and six years on hopes to tear into some of the Pumas' beefy loose forwards.

"They match brutality with skill," he said. "They know when to roll up their sleeves. They're a dangerous team, I reckon."