ABS prop quits for quiet life on farm
Tim Perry’s under-the-radar retirement shouldn’t be a bombshell to anyone who knows the 31-year-old.
No press release from New Zealand Rugby, silence from the Crusaders and Tasman, and not a whisper from the former All Black himself on social media.
Just the way the six-test All Blacks loosehead prop wanted to go out after he decided he’d hang up his boots at the end of last year.
‘‘Tim Perry doesn’t have an ego, he played the game because he loved it, he played for all the right reasons,’’ Tasman chief executive Tony Lewis told Stuff.
‘‘He wanted to see how far he could go in the game and he wanted to leave without any fanfare or fuss and I wouldn’t expect anything else from Tim.’’
Initial attempts to arrange an interview with Perry, who spends much of his time huntings hogs and is understood to be farming in Mid Canterbury, were promising but did not eventuate.
Lewis said the son of former All Black Grant Perry informed him last February that 2019 would be his last year in the sport.
At the time, Perry was very much in the All Black frame as they plotted towards the World Cup in Japan, but he broke his arm in the Crusaders’ season opener and practically missed the entire Super campaign.
He was fit again for the Mitre 10 Cup, helping Tasman go undefeated on their way to a maiden national provincial title.
‘‘It was the icing on the cake for Tim,’’ Lewis said.
‘‘He’s a bright man who knows he has another life other than rugby. He was just looking at when was the perfect time to start that other life. I have no doubt him and Grant have worked out a very good plan.’’
Born in Ashburton, Perry went on to board at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch. He played a handful of games for Mid Canterbury in 2010, before debuting for the Mako in 2012.
The Blues came calling the following year, when he played seven times for the Aucklandbased
side. Perry signed with the Crusaders in 2014, winning three straight titles between 2017-19.
Perry got an All Blacks call up on the 2017 end-of-year-tour, but didn’t earn his first test cap until the following year, when he debuted against the Wallabies in Sydney.
‘‘I can’t believe I’ve got a test jersey hanging up. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve stuck at it. I didn’t want to give up – I’m not that type of person.’’ Perry said after the match.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson found out Perry wouldn’t be back in 2020 when he was compiling his roster last season.
‘‘Tim, as he does, flies under cover. We asked his availability for this year and he said it was time for him to retire and he was looking forward to getting on the farm,’’ Robertson said.
‘‘He’s a hunter and a gatherer and a farmer and a man of the land. He enjoys it there. He’s just working his piece of land.’’
Perry could have demanded big bucks in Europe or Japan had he desired, but playing code offshore clearly isn’t for everyone.
Lewis played under Perry’s father’s captaincy in his day and said the pair were a classic case of like father, like son.
The Tasman boss went on to label Perry as ‘‘undemonstrative and an incredible team man’’, saying it was not uncommon for Perry to turn up to the team’s headquarters with a wild boar for staff to feast upon.
‘‘The way I would describe Tim, whether it’s 2020 or 2040, he will be exactly the same. He will sit down and have a beer and a laugh because he’s a top fella.
‘‘Rugby is poorer for him not being around. He epitomised what the rugby player of yesteryear used to be about . . . the most important thing was enjoying playing the game with your mates and you can’t buy that.’’
‘‘Tim Perry doesn’t have an ego . . . he played for all the right reasons.’’ Tony Lewis Tasman chief executive