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TJ Perenara reveals the secret behind the Hurricanes’ perfect start
By Finn Morton
Halfback TJ Perenara has credited the Hurricanes’ depth as the secret behind the team’s perfect start to the season after they left it late to beat the Crusaders 14-10 in Christchurch.
Down by three points with the full-time hooter practically warming up, the Canes decided not to take a penalty shot at goal as they instead opted to pack down for a scrum.
After the scrum was blown up for a penalty, and Du’Plessis Kirifi chose to try and steal the victory by taking a quick tap, the Hurricanes unleashed an onslaught of attacking pressure onto the try line.
Eventually, replacement Justin Sangster crashed over for the match-winning score as the men from the capital kept their unbeaten run in 2024 alive.
It was a historic five-pointer as the Hurricanes went on to claim only their seventh win ever over the Crusaders in Christchurch, while the hosts’ winless run this season stretches to four games.
“It’s a tough place to win,” TJ Perenara said on Sky Sport NZ’s broadcast.
“Coming down here and playing against a Crusaders outfit, I know that they haven’t started the season the way they wanted to but they’re always a force to be reckoned with.
“Getting a win over them down here is important for us, it’s important for our season… it hasn’t happened a bunch of times so we cherish each time we get one.”
After starting their season with wins over the Western Force, Queensland Reds and Blues, the Hurricanes’ depth was tested again in round four against the ‘Saders.
Without the likes of Brad Shields and Jordie Barrett, other players have stepped up this season when they've needed to. As Perenara explained, that’s why the Hurricanes have started strong.
“We’ve got a good squad, we’ve got a deep squad as well,” Perenara added.
“Our ability to have players in and out, people starting, people coming off the bench – the range of talent in our environment… once we get on the field we’re really confident in what we can do out there.
“We understand there’s a lot of good teams in this competition and on any given day, if a team plays at their highest level and we’re off a little bit, we can be (beaten) by them.
“Our ability to stay at the best that we can be at, we think we’ve got a really good chance at winning most games.”
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After a fairly simple Pac4, the BFs will find out a lot about themselves in September when they face the rampaging RedRoses at Twickenham in front of a record crowd. After that they will face them again in Canada in WXV1. They also have France to contend with. Will be interesting to see what Australia have to offer with Jo Yapp at the helm.
Go to commentsSuper Rugby Pacific has been better as a spectacle due to the emphasis on speeding the game up and I’d look at taking things a step further. Instead of giving teams 90 seconds to take a conversion, let’s bring that down 60 seconds. You could also look at allowing 45 seconds for a penalty goal. Maybe teams could get 20 seconds instead of 30 to form a scrum before the ref then starts the engagement process. However, this year the most pleasing change is the added competitiveness in the Trans Tasman matches. What does frustrate me is how the rugby media in Australasia allow the the whole ‘‘rugby is boring’’/’’rugby yawnion’’ narrative to take hold from from vindictive league types, the chairman of the ARL commission and News Limited Australia. Stick up for the game and shift the narrative!
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