Halfback’s Cup hopes hit by Achilles injury

TJ Perenara will be sidelined for up to nine months after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the closing stages of the draw with England to throw the battle for the All Blacks halfback roles wide open.

Perenara replaced Aaron Smith in the 64th minute of the All Blacks’ deflating 25-25 draw, but in the dying stages, he collapsed to the turf and had to be helped from the field.

Speaking the day after the match as the All Blacks prepared to travel home from London following their final test of the year, coach Ian Foster confirmed the worst-case injury for Perenara.

“TJ has ruptured his Achilles,” Foster said.

Recovering from such an injury usually requires nine months, leaving Perenara in a race against time to prove his fitness before the All Blacks’ opening World Cup match against France in Paris on September 8.

“I wouldn’t say that but we’re gutted for him,” Foster said. “It’s the 78th minute and he’s innocuously gone to chase a kick and it’s gone bang, which hurts.”

The injury is a cruel blow for Perenara after he worked hard to fight his way back into the All Blacks, playing his first test in a year off the bench in Edinburgh.

Perenara reacted to missing All Blacks selection earlier this year by claiming the Jubilee Cup with Wellington club Norths as well as the NPC and Ranfurly Shield with Wellington to earn an All Blacks recall.

After playing the final two tests of the year off the bench, this latest significant setback poses another challenge for the 30-year-old.

Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava, who played two tests off the bench against Ireland in July before rupturing an ACL, has opted for non-operative rehab in a bid to prove his fitness before the World Cup. Given the severity of the injury, there are no guarantees that approach will pan out.

The absence of Perenara and Fakatava for the majority of Super Rugby next year may enhance Brad Weber and Finlay Christie’s cases behind incumbent Smith.

The All Blacks selectors will need to whittle those five contenders down to three for the World Cup.