TJ Perenara of New Zealand goes down injured. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
TJ Perenara will miss the second test against England this weekend at Eden Park, after scans have revealed the extent of a knee injury in the All Blacks' 16-15 win in Dunedin on Saturday night.
It is a cruel blow for Perenara, who was playing his first test since November 2022. Ironically, that was against England as well, in which he suffered a serious knee injury which saw him miss the entire 2023 season.
All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland said they were "not sure" yet exactly what the injury was.
"It's around his knee, I suppose the specialist's report will let us know in a couple of days," said Holland, before confirming it was not anywhere near as serious as Perenara's last injury.
"It's way better than expected and hopefully it's not too long."
Perenara did not return to the field in the second-half of the tense first test, after a cleanout at a breakdown saw captain Scott Barrett land awkwardly on his halfback's leg. He continued playing until the break, when he was replaced by Finlay Christie.
Holland confirmed Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham had been called into the squad. One of the few positive stories of their wretched season, Hotham's call-up comes as little surprise as he was in the conversation to make the squad initially.
The situation does clear the way for Cortez Ratima to make his debut this weekend with Christie starting.