Hurricanes coach Jason Holland believes there is a chance TJ Perenara will return from injury before the end of Super Rugby Pacific.
The veteran scrum half has been injured since the All Blacks’ dramatic draw against England last November, where Perenara left the pitch with a ruptured Achilles tendon and is concerned whether he will recover in time for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Positive signals
However, Perenara has made impressive progress in recovery, as he was seen running during Hurricanes practice this week.
When asked about the return of the Hurricanes great, Holland joked that he would replace suspended Ardie Savea at number eight this weekend.
“Yeah mate, he’s playing number eight at the weekend,” Holland told Rugby Pass.
“No, he’s been running, which is actually a bit ridiculous.
“We have all the facilities he can use, like a pretty awesome machine that takes some of his body weight off and he can run on the treadmill there too.
“But he is on track to play before the end of the season without a doubt.
“It may be different than what the doctors expected when he first did it, but I’ve seen TJ before and he tends to come back much faster than he should and what normal people do.”
Taking risks
When one door closes, another often opens, and Cam Roigard has grabbed his chance in Perenara’s absence with both hands, registering some nice shifts in the first two rounds. Jamie Booth has also made valid contributions from the base of the ruck.
Holland praised the duo and their performance to date and is excited to see the competition when Perenara returns.
“The guys were excellent,” he said.
“Cam plays great football and the control that Boothy adds, he’s a smart rugby head and he comes on and knows exactly how to get the team home.
“Maybe in the future there is room to play them the other way around because we know how good Cam is off the bench, as we know Boothy is.
“Getting Teej back, it will be a good game.”
The Dutch side turn their attention to a daunting task, this weekend hosting the Blues, who suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Brumbies in the Super Round.
READ MORE: Ardie Savea: All Blacks and Hurricanes star ‘accepts’ suspension for throat-slitting gesture
The article Super Rugby Pacific: Veteran TJ Perenara could recover from injury this season appeared first on Planetrugby.com.