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'The best hooker in the competition': Hurricanes and All Blacks stars back TJ Perenara's potential NRL move

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

A number of TJ Perenara’s Hurricanes and All Blacks teammates have backed the halfback’s potential move to the NRL.

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1 News reported on Thursday that Perenara, who is off-contract with New Zealand Rugby [NZR] this year, is “seriously considering” a shift to the Sydney Roosters to help answer the club’s shortage of hookers following the retirement of Jake Friend.

The 29-year-old’s agent Warren Alcock told 1 News he and his client, who is currently in Japan on a sabbatical deal with Top League club NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes, “are talking to NZR and other parties that have approached us”.

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Perenara would hardly be the first player to jump between rugby union and rugby league, and one of his teammates who has plied his trade in both sports has led the charge in voicing his support of a possible code switch.

All Blacks midfielder Ngani Laumape, who played 30 times for the New Zealand Warriors before becoming Perenara’s Hurricanes teammate five years ago, said the 69-test halfback has all the traits required to make him one of the best hookers in the NRL.

“If this is real news, he would be the best hooker in the competition [sic] No doubt,” Laumape said of Perenara on his Twitter account.

“The man smashes forwards in rugby and imagine his left foot out of dummy half kicking them 40/20.”

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Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea, who has played alongside Perenara at the Wellington-based franchise since 2013, backed up Laumape’s claims in a reply to the midfielder’s tweet.

“Oath @Tj_Perenara hardest working man I know,” Savea, who was the subject of cross-code speculation last year, said.

Chiefs co-captain and fellow halfback Brad Weber, meanwhile, said on Friday that Perenara would flourish as a No 9 in rugby league.

“I’d be gutted to lose him from rugby,” Weber said of his All Blacks teammate. “I’ve battled it out with TJ since we were 17, and first and foremost he’s a good friend of mine.

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“We’re in the same position and competing against other, so some people might think it’s a bit different of me, but I’d love for him to stick around, he brings the best out of me personally, and I love having him in the All Blacks environment when I’m there.

“But I am a big rugby league fan as well. You see a lot of the leaguies come over to union, and, the type of player he is, he’d be a fantastic league player, so I’d love to see him go over there and carve up as well. So, I sort of have a foot in both camps, I guess.”

Weber added that Perenara has proven in union that he would handle the defensive demands that come with being a league hooker, and that while he is a Warriors supporter, he may have to switch allegiance should his teammate make the switch.

“TJ’s never shied away from defensive stuff, and in fact he’s probably been the best defensive nine in the world once Tawera [Kerr-Barlow] left.

“He puts shots on the biggest forwards and the biggest backs in the game. So I think he’d actually really enjoy the traffic coming down his way.

“We’d certainly be cheering him on. I’m a big Warriors fan, but, geez, I’d have to become a Roosters fan if he went there.”

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R
RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

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