Why TJ Perenara is the ‘favourite’ to finish season as all-time top try scorer

Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui believes TJ Perenara is the “favourite” to finish the Super Rugby Pacific season as the all-time top try scorer after the halfback Julian Savea’s record last weekend.

Perenara, who has played 80 test matches for New Zealand, equalled Savea’s record of 62 tries with a decisive double during the statement 36-23 win over rivals the Chiefs at Sky Stadium.

The halfback crashed over with a pick-and-drive for the first try of the night midway through the first-half before linking up with the backs for his second in the 58^th minute.

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That effort saw Perenara draw equal with former Hurricanes and All Blacks teammate Julian Savea, who now plays for Moana Pasifika, with both men now one score away from history.

With Savea’s Moana Pasifika on a bye this week and the Hurricanes set to play the Fijian Drua in Suva, Morgan Turinui briefly explained why Perenara will likely finish the season ahead.

“Oh he’s the dollar-20 favourite to finish the season surely in the head-to-head against Julian Savea,” Turinui explained on Stan Sports’ The Call Up.

“He’s gonna get opportunity, he’s gonna get to play deep into the backend of the season in the finals and he’s always been a great try-scoring number nine.”

After returning from a devastating Achilles injury that had sidelined Perenara for more than 450 days, the halfback is thrived during a strong start to the season with the table-toppers.

Perenara, 32, played two matches off the bench before being handed a start against the Rebels in round five – with the scrum-half scoring a try during that big win in Palmerston North.

There’s history here and history to be made 🤝

TJ Perenara and Julian Savea both continue to wrestle atop the #SuperRugbyPacific all-time try scoring leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/3cBdUaE9PC

— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 17, 2024

Including one score against the Highlanders a week later and that double against the Chiefs, Perenara has scored four tries in three matches and he’ll be eager to keep that going in Fiji.

“When you’ve got a pack that’s going forward… he’s got confidence within the pack,” Rugby World Cup-winning All Black Mils Muliaina added.

“He looked really good. Even defensively… his experience really came to fruition on that night.

“We’re going to see a lot more of him.

“To score two tries on that night, pretty good.”

The Hurricanes sit in first on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with a perfect 7-0 record so far, and while Turinui believes the Drua could record an upset on Friday, Muliaina has tipped the Canes.

Coach Clark Laidlaw – who hasn’t been afraid to make mass changes this season – has gone with a fresh starting side which included a staggering 10 differences compared to last weekend.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

2

Draws

0

Wins

3

Average Points scored

21

37

First try wins

80%

Home team wins

80%

“You would be forgiven to say you take a weakened side over there and you could be bitten. We’ve seen that already a number of times,” Muliaina explained.

“But I don’t see that with this Hurricanes side.

“The pack up front, especially the front row, they’ve gone through a lot of work in terms of Tyrel Lomax and Asafo Aumua… the fact they get a little bit of a rest.

“Flanders and Du’Plessis Kirifi, I mean… how much competition do those guys need in this department?

“Of course, Aidan Morgan – he’s been there or thereabouts. Probably a chance also for Clark Laidlaw to be able to give him some game time.

“Salesi Rayasi, we all know what he’s capable of.

“I sense, even last week after that game against the Chiefs, they’ve sort of blocked this out and almost got the feeling that these players already knew they were going to go to Suva and they’re going to be starting.

“The preparation for team has probably already started.”