Knee injury sidelines Canes No 9 Perenara
If there was a time in the rugby season to get injured, TJ Perenara might have found it.
The All Blacks and Hurricanes halfback will be sidelined for up to four weeks after a knee injury at training, with Hurricanes coach Jason Holland calling it “a really innocuous accident”.
Having not played for the Canes last year because he was contracted to Japanese club NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes, Perenara’s return will be further delayed after he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament on Tuesday.
But with the threat of Omicron looming over the debut season of Super Rugby Pacific, Perenara’s timing could turn from unfortunate to convenient.
The season-opening match between the Blues and Moana Pasifika has already been postponed due to seven confirmed Covid cases in the Moana Pasifika camp, while the Blues also had a player deemed a close contact and forced into isolation in the Super Rugby Queenstown bubble.
The Hurricanes’ first match, next Saturday against the Crusaders, is still set to go ahead, but with New Zealand cases of the contagious Omicron variant hitting a record 454 yesterday, including 13 in the Southern District Health Board region, the prospect of further cases among Super Rugby teams in the next week is a serious possibility.
Such cases would lead to 10-day periods of isolation, not only axing matches but also putting teams well behind their training regiments and requiring a major revamp of the schedule.
So when Holland discusses the four halfbacks who could replace Perenara — Jamie Booth, Richard Judd, Logan Henry and Leroy Carter — there is the possibility that, aside from yesterday’s pre-season game against the Crusaders, there may not be many minutes that quartet are required to fill.
Should the remaining Super Rugby teams stay safe in their bubble, though, Holland confirmed that the Hurricanes’ other All Blacks — Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Dane Coles, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax — will all be available for selection in the opening round.