Perenara: Just another game
HURRICANES v CRUSADERS: CHRISTCHURCH, 7.35PM TONIGHT
You might as well just hear it from the horse’s mouth and then make your own mind up about how significant tonight’s Hurricanes and Crusaders clash actually is.
‘‘We genuinely treat it as any other game,’’ Hurricanes captain TJ Perenara said of a match that’s received some fairly big billing.
‘‘Yes it’s a local derby and yes we’re playing the top of the table [team] who hasn’t been beaten, but if we go in there with false expectations and try and do too much, that leads to more bad than good. So the hype around it is more for the public and the media.
‘‘For us, we go into this game and, if we win or lose, we’ve still got to get up on Monday and play next week too.’’
He’s not just saying that. Experience has taught Perenara and the Hurricanes that making an arm and a leg of things doesn’t help them play better.
‘‘We do all the hard work Monday to Friday and get out on that [training] field regardless of the conditions and put our bodies through some tough stuff. So when we get out there on a Saturday, that’s the fun part of it and that’s where a lot of people get lost in the game [by] treating it as more of a chore than anything,’’ he said.
‘‘When you find that enjoyment in what you do, I think that’s when you’re in a good space.’’
The Hurricanes know as well as anyone what an advantage winning the New Zealand conference can be. Tipping up the Crusaders in Christchurch last year secured them a home playoff run, which they were then able to convert into a maiden title.
The more derbies you win, you closer you are to the top of the conference so of course there’s a degree of significance about tonight’s match. But the Hurricanes play well when their players – particularly key gamedrivers such as Perenara and Beauden Barrett – keep their minds uncluttered, assess opportunities as they arise and believe in their ability to execute.
‘‘Consequences, you can’t deal with them until something’s actually happened,’’ Perenara said.
‘‘So a lot of people think about the result; whether we’re going to win, whether we’re going to lose, whether we’re going to play well or whether we’re not going to play well, and that actually does no good for the moment right now.
‘‘I tend to preach that a lot in this environment. Just trust what your instinct tells you what to do, enjoy what you’re doing out there and we’ll learn from it, we’ll deal with it.
‘‘Whatever does happen, we’ll get through those consequences, but there’s no point dwelling on what hasn’t happened,’’ Perenara said.
As Perenara noted, they’ll be playing the Cheetahs at Westpac Stadium the following Saturday whatever this week’s outcome.
‘‘Yes we’d love to win. I’d love to win and it’s an important game. But it’s not the be-all and end-all.’’