"Unique opportunity" awaiting TJ Perenara on return from injury

By Christopher Reive

TJ Perenara has confirmed his All Blacks aspirations, suggesting he and Cam Roigard have a chance to pull off something unusual with the Hurricanes.

Perenara, 31, missed the entire 2023 season after requiring two surgeries to repair an Achilles injury he suffered during the All Blacks’ end of year tour in 2022. His absence provided the opportunity for Roigard to get extended minutes at halfback for the Hurricanes, seeing him emerge as one of the brightest talents in the country and earn a spot in the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup squad.

It creates quite the selection conundrum for new Hurricanes gaffer Clark Laidlaw in 2024, with Perenara expecting to be fit and ready to play for the opening game of the season in late February.

“Cam and I, I think we have a very unique opportunity to be the best two nines in the country at one club, and have to have our dynamic working together. Whatever that looks like out on the field, I think is going to be important for us winning this competition,” Perenara said.

“I think a lot of people and a lot of media might try to shape this as a competitive thing against each other in a negative way. It will be competitive, both of us want to play big minutes, which is a good thing, but both of us also want the other person to be playing really well too. That’s only healthy for us, for our club, to hopefully win this competition and go forward into different teams as well.

“If we can continue to grow and be the best two nines in the country, we’ll give ourselves a really good opportunity to play together later in the year as well.”

Following the departure of longtime All Blacks No 9 Aaron Smith after the World Cup in France, Perenara is the most experienced halfback in the country with 80 test appearances. Finlay Christie, who was the All Blacks’ third option in the position alongside Smith and Roigard at the World Cup, is the next in that category with 21 appearances.

In 2023, despite being sidelined with injury, Perenara inked a two-year extension in July that will see him remain with the Hurricanes until the end of the 2025 campaign.

Perenara confirmed he would be aiming for a recall to the test team when he does return to the pitch, but admitted there were plenty of goals he needed to tick off on the way to that.

“Playing’s a big one. Getting back on the field and playing good footy,” Perenara said.

“I set my goals broad for a year, then I narrow them down to my short-term goals. For me now, my short-term goal is literally just to get back and do full-team training. When I come to that point and I’m team training and looking to start playing again, those goals start to adapt.

“To be an All Black you have to play good rugby. You have to be out on the field, you have to be having an impact on your team, and winning really helps too. All those elements will be a part of those goals and those standards.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission