NEW ZEALAND SCRUM-half TJ Perenara has heaped praise on former Hurricanes team-mate Jamison Gibson-Park ahead of a possible match-up with the Ireland halfback this Saturday.
Gibson-Park is set to face his native New Zealand for the first time after impressing against Japan last weekend, while Perenara is expected to return to the All Blacks’ number nine shirt for the clash in Dublin.
Having previously played with the Blues, Gibson-Park was Perenara’s understudy at the Hurricanes in 2016 when the Wellington-based franchise won the Super Rugby title before he made the move to Leinster later that year.
Having qualified via the residency rule, Gibson-Park debuted for Ireland in 2020 and is now set to line up opposite his former Canes team-mate unless Andy Farrell opts to start Conor Murray at scrum-half.
“He was an awesome player to play with and play against when he was in New Zealand,” said Perenara of Gibson-Park last night.
“I was lucky enough to play alongside him at the Hurricanes and to be fair, he was one of the most gifted players I ever played with. And everything as well… I mean everything that guy touches often turns to gold.
“To see him come over here and be both successful at the club level and the international level has been awesome. And obviously the way he played at the weekend was fantastic and the way he has been playing over the last four years – it’s been awesome to see.
“He really deserves his spot in international rugby and hopefully if we get the chance to play against each other, it will be pretty cool.”
Perenara is expecting a ferocious contest this weekend at the sold-out Aviva Stadium, where the All Blacks lost in 2018 when Perenara came off the bench.
He says previous meetings between the sides are largely “irrelevant,” however, even if they do give the Kiwis some indication of what lies ahead on the pitch.
“To be fair, they’ve been a quality side for a long time now,” said Perenara. “So we know each time we play against Ireland, the physical battle firstly, that we’re going to come against is second to none.
“And then what I’ve also noted that they’ve added to their game is the ability to keep the ball alive. That is something that, I don’t know if it has been clear focus for them, but we have noticed that the ball is being kept alive a lot more.
“Some of the tries they are scoring from all over the field, some of the linebreaks they are making, it’s pretty special to see. They’ve got some athletes in their environment and then when they get the ball in space, they’re tough to stop.”
Perenara had a stint in Japanese rugby with the NTT Red Hurricanes earlier this year, meaning he missed out on Super Rugby, but he has come back into the All Blacks’ set-up impressively.
With Aaron Smith missing out on this tour due to the birth of his child, Perenara is the first-choice at scrum-half.
While he’s loving the rugby, the 29-year-old admits that it’s tough being away from family on what is essentially a 15-week tour between the Rugby Championship in Australia, a game in the US, and this European stint.
“I reckon the biggest challenge for me isn’t anything to do with footy,” said Perenara. “It’s being away from my family for so long.
