Watch: TJ Perenara signs off Wellington career with poetic try

TJ Perenara’s farewell tour reached a special milestone on Friday night as the halfback donned the Wellington colours one final time in the capital before packing his bags for Japan.

The 32-year-old signed a three-year contract with Tokyo Black Rams earlier in the year, forgoing his All Blacks eligibility and signalling an end to his iconic rugby career in New Zealand.

It was an emotional night for Perenara two weeks ago as he ran out onto the Sky Stadium turf for the final time in the black jersey, and Friday night’s NPC quarter-final saw another special moment play out in front of the diehard Wellington faithful.

Perenara was joined by fellow All Blacks Ruben Love and Billy Proctor in returning for NPC duties in the Lions’ quarter-final clash with Counties Manukau.

The matchup pitted him against counterpart Cam Roigard in the respective No. 9 jerseys, but it was Perenara and Wellington who would own the night as the talent-rich Wellington team ran away as 29-14 victors to advance to the semi-final.

Helping the side carve out that lead was a 50th-minute try by the man himself.

With a Wellington ruck set on Counties’ 22m line, Perenara fired a typically crisp ball to first five-eighth Jackson Garden-Bachop before the ball found one-time All Black Peter Umaga-Jensen.

Player Tackles Won

1

Hugo Plummer

23

2

Caleb Delany

22

3

TJ Perenara

20

The reserve midfielder held the ball for a second to engage Roigard at the line before delivering a skip pass to an unmarked Asafo Aumua on the wing.

The electric hooker made the most of the space he was put into by sprinting down the touchline before squaring up the final Counties defender and delivering the try assist to Perenara, running the classic halfback support line to finish the effort.

@Tj_Perenara 🙌#bunningsnpcplayoffs

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— Bunnings NPC (@BunningsNPC) October 11, 2024

The play inevitably sparked a roar from the Wellington crowd, with fans online labelling the moment a “poetic” one for Super Rugby’s 2nd all-time leading try-scorer.

Perenara wasn’t the only All Black to get his name on the scoresheet on the evening, far from it. Billy Proctor provided the pace to finish another of Wellington’s efforts while Cam Roigard picked up where he left off after last week’s two-try performance with another in the capital.

Asafo Aumua’s contribution to Perenara’s try was just one of three key involvements the hooker had in Wellington’s tries. The explosive front-rower combined with forwards and backs alike in attacking strike plays, executing a deceptive reverse move down the blindside off a line out on the 22m line that resulted in a try to All Blacks XV flanker Duplessis Kirifi, also combining with Riley Higgins for the No. 12’s try that opened the scoring in the contest.

Higgins, one of the youngest members of the recently announced All Blacks XV squad, had another starring performance in the quarter-final, further cementing himself as one of the future stars of New Zealand rugby as the country farewells another of its greats.