Born in
Marlborough District, Hayes went to school at
St Patrick's College, Silverstream, where he moved from playing
softball to playing
rugby union, eventually switching his position from
centre to
loose forwards. He also attended
Marlborough Boys' College before playing for
Hutt Old Boys-Marist as a
number 8 and blindside
flanker. Having played as a youth player for
Hurricanes and been cut from the
national under-20 team, Hayes sought opportunities in France, where clubs had become wealthy. Through Hutt teammate Otto Rasch, who had played for
Grenoble, he trialled for two weeks at that club and received a development contract, where his salary would increase depending on games played. Hayes said that his initial salary was similar to the top salaries of the
National Provincial Championship, which New Zealand website
Stuff estimated at
NZ$55,000; Hayes said he was signed for three years so he could be naturalised as a
French citizen and not count on a quota of foreign players. On 21 December 2017, with the club now in
Pro D2 following relegation from the
Top 14, he scored his first
try in a 28–23 home win over
Bayonne, adding another on 9 March in a 23–16 loss at
Colmiers, as his team won promotion as runners-up. Released by Grenoble, Hayes signed for second-tier
Soyaux Angoulême in April 2018. He played 10 games in his one season in
Charente, scoring a try on 11 November in a 31–15 home win over
Biarritz. Having suffered a season-ending neck injury in the same game, he signed in January 2019 for top-flight
Agen on a two-year deal with the option of a third. On 3 April 2021 he scored his only try for the club and his only one in European competition, in the first minute of a 29–16 loss away to
Benetton of Italy in the last 16 of the
European Challenge Cup. In December 2021, having spent the first half of the season without a club, Hayes signed for
Valence Romans Drôme in the third-tier
Championnat Fédéral Nationale. After helping the club to promotion as champions in
2022–23, he retired due to injury in February 2024, having played only five times in his final campaign. ==Personal life==