'I didn't think I'd play another game' - TJ Perenara's honest ...

All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara has opened up about his lengthy spell on the sidelines and fears over whether he would play rugby again.

Perenara is the second most experienced backline player in Scott Robertson’s first All Blacks squad, marking his return to the team having not played for the side since November 2022.

Back-to-back Achilles injuries threatened the half-back’s career as he would also go on to miss the entire 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season and a chance to represent his country at a second World Cup.

Now back and fully fit, he was a driving force in the Hurricanes’ run to the Super Rugby semi-finals as he went on to break the competition’s all-time leading try record, playing a particularly significant role following the injury to Cam Roigard.

Having made the most of his opportunities, he has been recalled to the All Blacks squad ahead of the two-Test series against England.

“I’m obviously really proud,” Perenara told Sky New Zealand.

“There has been a lot of work that’s gone into it, but I don’t think I’ve looked back, and really appreciated the journey that I’ve gone through to get back here, and I won’t for a while because there’s another job to do and that’s the beauty of sport and the beauty of life.

“That chapter on recovering and trying to get back to the All Blacks is now closed because I’m here now, and the door opens, and the chapter of trying to be a great All Black starts again.”

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When asked if he thought that he would ever get back into the Test team, Perenara admitted that he feared that he would never play rugby again during a challenging time in his recovery.

“There was a time where I didn’t think I’d play another game,” he added.

“I rehabbed a lot, hurt myself again, had another surgery, rehabbed again and it felt like things just weren’t progressing.

“The first time when I rehabbed, it felt like I was hitting this plateau where I was not getting any better, and there was a moment where I thought, ‘Man, I might not play rugby ever again. I love this game, and I’d give anything to play,’ and things just aren’t working.

“And within like the next week or so, I’ve seen this massive spike in strength and my ability to move around. I’m very thankful to Nicole our physio at the Hurricanes who put a lot of time and effort into and to me, and she was consistent even when I would have bad days.

“There was that moment, and I’m grateful for that moment because that feeling that I had of not being able to play makes me grateful for being able to go out on the field and play rugby- something that I hold dear.”

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The 80-Test cap veteran admitted that he shed a tear after getting the phone call from head coach Robertson that he was in the squad.

“There were some tears after the phone call,” he said.

“I was holding my son, getting him ready for bed and Razor called. After I hung up the phone, I went to talk to my wife and I was trying to get the words out to her, trying to explain that I had made it but I was struggling.

“I decided not to tell my parents, so they found out now when the team was named, I wanted to give them that moment, but to be able to tell my wife that it was pretty special last night.”

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