After some exciting upsets last week, unfortunately the unlucky 13th round of Super Rugby in 2012 has some uninspiring match ups. That doesn’t mean they are easy to pick however, but it does mean there isn’t anything really juicy to look forward to. The first games of the round, Hurricanes v Brumbies, Highlanders v Bulls and the Crusaders v Blues are probably the most anticipated. However, even the Crusaders v Blues match is more about history than form. The Brumbies are having a terrific season, but unfortunately their injury woes at first five will surely catch up with them. We’re picking the Hurricanes to send some of their ruck and roll team directly down that channel and take the game. The Highlanders are clearly showing the results of a long and rough season, with their high impact game plan and shallow depth really showing. However, we have given them the benefit of the doubt due to their earlier season form and being at home. While the Bulls are top of the table, they showed some signs of frailty against the Rebels. This should be the game of the round and the result will have the biggest impact on the table.

If an embarrassing loss to the Rebels can’t snap the Crusaders out of their funk, then nothing will. They are up against a Blues team who may have finally got the monkey off their back by winning their second game of the season. However, the Crusaders should be far too strong.

The Reds welcome back Quade Cooper and he’s picked the perfect game for it, against the poorest defence in the competition. The Lions have had a tough tour and were particularly poor against the Blues. However, they’ll no doubt give Cooper an appropriate welcome to Super Rugby.

The Sharks have made a late play for the playoffs, and stormed into the reckoning. The Cheetahs have been quiet lately and will have to be at their best to take down the Sharks.

Finally, no prizes for picking which game will be the cripple fight of the round. Completing round 13 is the Force versus the Rebels. The Rebels will be riding high after beating the Crusaders, but consistency was never their strong point. The Force had a dour few weeks and might throw in the towel if Kurtley Beale and the Rebels get a roll on. We’ve given the Force the benefit of the doubt for being at home.

Hurricanes v Brumbies

Friday 18 May at 19:35 at Westpac Stadium, Wellington
RugbyFix Pick: HURRICANES to beat Brumbies by 8

Highlanders v Bulls

Saturday 19 May at 17:30 at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
RugbyFix Pick: HIGHLANDERS to beat Bulls by 3

Crusaders v Blues

Saturday 19 May at 19:35 at Rugby League Park, Christchurch
RugbyFix Pick: CRUSADERS to beat Blues by 15

Reds v Lions

Saturday 19 May at 19:40 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
RugbyFix Pick: REDS to beat Lions by 12

Cheetahs v Sharks

Saturday 19 May at 17:05 at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
RugbyFix Pick: SHARKS to beat Cheetahs by 5

Stormers v Waratahs

Saturday 19 May at 19:10 at Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
RugbyFix Pick: STORMERS to beat Waratahs by 7

W Force v Rebels

Sunday 20 May at 14:35 at NIB Stadium, Perth
RugbyFix Pick: FORCE to beat Rebels by 1
BYE: Chiefs

Hurricanes v Brumbies

Hurricanes Team:

15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Reggie Goodes.
Reserves: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Jack Lam, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Beauden Barrett, 22 Jayden Hayward.

Brumbies Team:

15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Fotu Auelua, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Ben Mowen (captain), 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Reserves: 16 Anthony Hegarty, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Peter Kimlin, 19 Ita Vaea, 20 Nic White, 21 Robbie Coleman, 22 Tevita Kuridrani.

Highlanders v Bulls

Highlanders Team:

Ben Smith, Siale Piutau, Tamati Ellison, Phil Burleigh, Hosea Gear, Mike Delany, Aaron Smith, Nasi Manu, Tim Boys, Adam Thomson, Nick Crosswell, Jarrad Hoeata, Ma’afu Fia, Jason Rutledge, Jamie Mackintosh (captain).
Reserves: Andrew Hore, Bronson Murray, Hoani MacDonald/Josh Bekhuis, Scott Fuglistaller, Jimmy Cowan, Chris Noakes, Kenny Lynn

Bulls Team:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Reserves: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Crusaders v Blues

Crusaders Team:

1. Wyatt Crockett 2. Corey Flynn 3. Owen Franks 4. Luke Romano 5. Samuel Whitelock 6. George Whitelock 7. Matt Todd 8. Richie McCaw (captain) 9. Andy Ellis 10. Dan Carter (vice captain) 11. Zac Guildford 12. Ryan Crotty 13. Robbie Fruean 14. Adam Whitelock 15. Israel Dagg
Reserves 16. Quentin MacDonald 17. Ben Franks 18. Tom Donnelly 19. Brendon O’Connor 20. Willi Heinz 21. Tyler Bleyendaal 22. Tom Marshall

Blues Team:

Hadleigh Parkes, David Raikuna, Ma’a Nonu, Michael Hobbs, Benson Stanley, Gareth Anscombe, Piri Weepu; Luke Braid (captain), Daniel Braid, Steven Luatua, Ali Williams, Liaki Moli, Tevita Mailau, Tom McCartney, Tony Woodcock.
Reserves: James Parsons, Angus Ta’avao, Filo Paulo, Peter Saili, Alby Mathewson, Lachie Munro, Sherwin Stowers.

Reds v Lions

Reds Team:

15 Ben Lucas, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia; 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Reserves: James Hanson, Ben Daley, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Eddie Quirk, Nick Frisby, Chris F’sautia, Luke Morahan.

Lions Team:

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Reserves: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ Van der Linde, 18 Cobus Grobbelaar, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Ruan Combrinck, 22 James Kamana.

Cheetahs v Sharks

Cheetahs Team:

15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cameron Jacobs, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Riaan Smit, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 George Earle, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Reserves: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Philip Snyman.

Sharks Team:

15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Willem Alberts, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ryan Kankowski, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Meyer Bosman.

Stormers v Waratahs

Stormers Team:

15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Jebb Sinclair,7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Reserves: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Don Armand, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

Waratahs Team:

15 Bernard Foley, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 11 Atieli Pakalani, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 8 Dave Dennis, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Sitaleki Timani, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 John Ulugia/Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Reserves: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Kane Douglas, 19 Jono Jenkins, 20 Wycliff Palu, 21 Sarel Pretorius, 22 Daniel Halangahu.

W Force v Rebels

W Force Team:

15 David Harvey, 14 Samu Wara, 13 Will Tupou, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 Ben Seymour, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Reserves: 16 Salesi Manu, 17 Elvis Taione, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Winston Stanley, 22 Alfie Mafi.

Rebels Team:

TBA

There are some incredibly tough matches to pick in the twelfth round of the 2012 Super Rugby competition. Last week’s 100% tipping success is sure to be turned on its head. The difficulty starts with the cripple fight of the round, the Blues versus the Lions. It says how dismal the Blues are this year that fantasy rugby players aren’t loading their team with Blues in anticipation of the match. Instead, they are wondering whether the Blues will even win. Betting agencies are still firmly favouring the Blues, but RugbyFix has its not-picking-Blues policy to consider.

Considering the Waratahs’ embarrassing form against the Brumbies, their match up against the Bulls should be fairly predictable. Likewise, the Crusaders should be far too strong for the Rebels, even if the Crusaders are resting a number or players. This week the Crusaders welcome back captain Richie McCaw (see team namings). Back in South Africa the Sharks and the Stormers should make easy work of the Force and Cheetahs respectively.

Back in New Zealand, the battle for the playoffs sits on a knife edge as the Hurricanes and Highlanders battle it out. A win will see the Highlanders two wins clear of the Hurricanes, while a loss will see them sit together on the table. The Highlanders have begun to falter lately, with the horror run of injuries to openside flankers now matching the run at number ten. They also have the travel factor, only arriving home on Tuesday. Toss a coin for this match up; we have indecisively picked the home team.

The game of the round is surely the Reds v the Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs sit top of the table while the defending champions fought bravely to a narrow loss to the Crusaders last week and look to have come into some form. The Chiefs should have no trouble getting motivated for the match, unlike their scrappy win against the Lions. RugbyFix picks the Chiefs, if only in restitution for rarely picking them early in the season.

Blues v Lions

Friday 11 May at 19:35 at Eden Park, Auckland
RugbyFix Pick: BLUES to beat Lions by 1

Waratahs v Bulls

Friday 11 May at 19:40 at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
RugbyFix Pick: BULLS to beat Waratahs by 8

Highlanders v Hurricanes

Saturday 12 May at 19:35 at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
RugbyFix Pick: HURRICANES to beat Highlanders by 2

Rebels v Crusaders

Saturday 12 May at 19:40 at AAMI Park, Melbourne
RugbyFix Pick: CRUSADERS to beat Rebels by 13

Sharks v W Force

Saturday 12 May at 17:05 at Kings Park, Durban
RugbyFix Pick: SHARKS to beat Force by 14

Stormers v Cheetahs

Saturday 12 May at 19:10 at Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
RugbyFix Pick: STORMERS to beat Cheetahs by 12

Reds v Chiefs

Sunday 13 May at 16:10 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
RugbyFix Pick: CHIEFS to beat Reds by 3
BYE: Brumbies

Blues v Lions

Blues Team:

15 Hadleigh Parkes, 14 David Raikuna, 13 Ma’a Nonu, 12 Michael Hobbs, 11 Benson Stanley, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Luke Braid (captain), 5 Ali Williams, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Reserves: 16 James Parsons, 17 Angus Ta’avao, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Steven Luatua, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Lachie Munro, 22 Sherwin Stowers.

Lions Team:

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon Van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Franco Van der Merwe, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Reserves: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ Van der Linde, 18 Cobus Grobbelaar, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Ruan Combrinck, 22 James Kamana.

Waratahs v Bulls

Waratahs Team:

Daniel Halangahu, Tom Kingston, Rob Horne, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Atieli Pakalani, Berrick Barnes, Sarel Pretorius, Wycliff Palu, Chris Alcock, Rocky Elsom (captain), Kane Douglas, Dean Mumm, Sekope Kepu, John Ulugia, Benn Robinson. Reserves: John Mann-Rea, Jeremy Tilse, Sitaleki Timani, Lopeti Timani, Dave Dennis, Brendan McKibbin, Tom Carter.

Bulls Team:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Reserves: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Highlanders v Hurricanes

Highlanders Team:

Ben Smith, Siale Piutau, Tamati Ellison, Phil Burleigh, Hosea Gear, Mike Delany, Aaron Smith, Nasi Manu, Adam Thomson, Nick Crosswell, Jarrad Hoeata, Josh Bekhuis, Ma’afu Fia, Andrew Hore (captain), Chris King.
Reserves: Jason Rutledge, Bronson Murray, Culum Retallick, Tim Boys, Jimmy Cowan, Chris Noakes, Kendrick Lynn.

Hurricanes Team:

Andre Taylor, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith (captain), Charlie Ngatai/Tim Bateman, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Victor Vito, Karl Lowe, Faifili Levave, Jason Eaton, Jeremy Thrush, Ben May, Dane Coles, Reggie Goodes.
Reserves: Motu Matu’u, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Brad Shields, Jack Lam, Chris Eaton, Tusi Pisi/Daniel Kirkpatrick, Bateman/Alapati Leiua.

Rebels v Crusaders

Rebels Team:

15 Julian Huxley, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Lachlan Mitchell, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (captain), 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tim Davidson, 5 Hugh Pyle, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Reserves: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Jono Owen, 18 Al Campbell, 19 Ryan Hodson, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 James Hilgendorf, 22 Stirling Mortlock.

Crusaders Team:

Tom Marshall, Sean Maitland, Robbie Fruean, Dan Carter, Zac Guildford, Tom Taylor, Willi Heinz, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw (captain), George Whitelock, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett.
Reserves: Ben Funnell, Ben Franks, Tom Donnelly, Kieran Read, Andy Ellis, Ryan Crotty, Israel Dagg

Sharks v W Force

Sharks Team:

15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ryan Kankowski, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Meyer Bosman.

W Force Team:

15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Sam Wara, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 David Harvey, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Reserves: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Salesi Manu, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Ben Seymour, 22 Rory Sidey.

Stormers v Cheetahs

Stormers Team:

15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker (captain), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Reserves: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

Cheetahs Team:

15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cameron Jacobs, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 George Earle, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Reserves: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Philip Snyman.

Reds v Chiefs

Reds Team:

Luke Morahan, Dom Shipperley, Anthony Faingaa, Mike Harris, Digby Ioane, Ben Lucas, Will Genia, Scott Higginbotham, Liam Gill, Jake Schatz, James Horwill (captain), Rob Simmons, James Slipper, James Hanson, Ben Daley.
Reserves: Saia Faingaa, Greg Holmes, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Eddie Quirk, Beau Robinson, Nick Frisby, Rod Davies.

Chiefs Team:

Andrew Horrell, Lelia Masaga, Richard Kahui, Sonny Bill Williams, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Aaron Cruden, Brendon Leonard, Alex Bradley, Tanerau Latimer, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Craig Clarke (captain), Ben Tameifuna, Mahonri Schwalger, Sona Taumalolo.
Reserves: Hika Elliot, Toby Smith, Kane Thompson, Sam Cane, Augustine Pulu, Jackson Willison, Robbie Robinson.

Hurricanes TJ Perenara

TJ Perenara: Making the most of his opportunities

TJ Perenara, even at only twenty years old, is capably filling the halfback slot left by Piri Weepu at the Hurricanes. Under normal circumstances a player like Perenara, whose full name is Thomas Tekanapu Rawakata Perenara, would have to fulfil a reasonable apprenticeship behind a much more senior player. However, TJ Perenara is part of a young group of players, particularly in the Hurricanes, taking New Zealand by storm. Many of these players were part of the victorious New Zealand Under 20s who dominated and won the 2011 U20 Junior World Championship.

This rugby profile on TJ Perenara is part of a series of Super Rugby Player Profiles as part of our 2012 Super Rugby coverage. These profiles highlight new talent that has burst onto the scene in the 2012 Super Rugby season.

TJ Perenara was born in Porirua, New Zealand on the 23rd of January, 1992. Both his parents, Thomas and Fiona Perenara, represented New Zealand in softball. He credits his parents’ example set in softball for the work ethic he has taken into his rugby career. However, it’s not just a good attitude he seems to have got from his parents, but good genes too. At 1.84 metres tall (6’ 1⁄2”) and weighing 94 kg (210 pounds), he certainly has the frame to play at the highest levels, even in only his first full year as professional. A hall mark of Perenara’s game in 2012 as been his acceleration and ball skills.

TJ Perenara: From Mana College to a Super Rugby Hat-Trick on Debut

Perenara attended Mana College in Porirua, Wellington. As a secondary school student he played for the Northern United senior rugby club side, with whom he won the Jubilee Cup final and took home the Jimmy Brown Medal for being the player of the final. Perenara debuted for Wellington against Southland in New Zealand’s ITM Cup in 2010, aged only 18. Shortly after he captained the New Zealand Secondary Schools team against an Australia Secondary Schools team.

The following year he won selection for the New Zealand Under 20s team that won the 2011 U20 Junior World Championship. The side featured with TJ Perenara as starting halfback partnered with Gareth Ancombe at number ten. Only a year later many of that side, including Brodie Retallick and Ben Tameifuna at the Chiefs and Perenara’s halves partner at the Hurricanes Beauden Barrett (the side’s fullback), are taking the 2012 Super Rugby by storm. It could be said that TJ Perenara announced his arrival in Super Rugby louder than any of them, scoring a hat-trick against the Western Force in his Super Rugby debut.

Perenara played a pivotal part in Wellington’s 2011 ITM Cup tournament, setting him up for the big workload he has had in the 2012 Super Rugby competition. In him and young flyhalf Beauden Barrett, the Hurricanes finally have the assured and talented halves combination they have always wanted. In the coming years as the pair grow into professional rugby players their combination will continue to improve as will their game sense. Should Piri Weepu wish to return to the Hurricanes he may find he has a fight on his hands to gain his number nine jersey back from TJ Perenara. In fact, his spot in the All Blacks may even be under threat from the younger halfback.