TJ Perenara names the player he sees leading the All Blacks haka next

One of the most iconic sights in rugby will have a new face next season when TJ Perenara hangs up the black jersey and with it, his role as leader of the All Blacks haka.

Perenara inherited the honour from fellow halfback Aaron Smith when Smith retired from international rugby last season, with Perenara having led the haka previously at various points throughout his 10-year All Blacks career.

After playing his final All Blacks game on New Zealand soil in Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup win over the Wallabies, Perenara was asked who he sees stepping up to fulfil the role moving forward.

“Big call,” the halfback said, sitting back in his chair as he gave the question the consideration it demands.

“The next kaea (leader) of the haka… I think Codie (Taylor) has put his name forward. I think Rieko (Ioane) would be amazing as well, to be honest with you.

“The person I think it could be long-term is Billy Proctor. He’s amazing in that role and the mana that he carries through haka and through te ao Maori (the Maori culture).

“He leads the haka at the Hurricanes, that’s how much respect we have for him in that space.”

Proctor is a five-time Maori All Black hailing from Ngai Te Rangi and Ngapuhi – New Zealand tribes located in Tauranga and Northland.

While the 25-year-old hasn’t seen any game time since his impressive debut against Fiji back in July, he is widely expected to be a part of the All Blacks’ future.

Reflecting on his time as kaea, Perenara revealed how transformational it had been for him personally.

“It’s meant a lot to me being able to lead the haka. I didn’t speak Maori growing up, and I led the haka at the start without understanding te reo Maori (the Maori language) and te ao Maori the way I do now, and that has been a big reason for my journey into te ao Maori and into te reo Maori.

“So, haka isn’t just what I do out there, it has changed how I am as a person and how I am as a Maori man.”

Beyond the field, the team perform hakas when they look to express their respect for certain people and places, including at Caterpillar Valley cemetery in Northern France ahead of their Rugby World Cup campaign last year.

With a powerful performance of Kapa o Pango, the team – management included – paid their respects to the fallen soldiers of WW1 at the site the New Zealand Division joined the Battle of Somme in September 1916.

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Following Saturday’s game, the halls of Sky Stadium rattled with the sound of a haka being performed in the All Blacks changing room. It was for former captain and new Test centurion Sam Cane.

An emotional Cane sat by Perenara’s side in the post-match press conference and shared what the moment had meant to him.

“Old man TJ led it here,” Cane grinned. “He leads a pretty mighty haka as we all know.

“Any time you get a haka from your teammates, it’s just… a big part of rugby is earning your teammates’ respect through how you turn up and a haka is one of the ultimate signs of respect. So, it was awesome.

“My family was able to be in the changing room which is pretty rare. It’s a pretty special circle in there and for the team to open it up to my mum and dad, sisters and wife, it was really cool to be able to share that with them.

“You can feel the mana and you can feel the emotion in what goes into it. The boys don’t hold back. I just ended up wanting to do it straight back at them.”

– ‘Mana’ is defined by the Maori dictionary as: “Prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma – mana is a supernatural force in a person, place or object.”