All Black great: It is still a 'Test match'
Thomas Tekanapu Rawakata Perenara thought that when he left New Zealand in 2024 for a stint with the Black Rams in Japan’s Rugby League One, he had seen the last of the mighty men in Green and Gold.
However, in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, the 89-cap All Black, affectionately known as TJ, will lead a star-studded Barbarian selection against South Africa in a non-cap ‘international’.
For Perenara, who had several official Test encounters with the Springboks as an All Black scrumhalf, the face-off in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a real Test.
“The opportunity to lead a team, though it is not the All Blacks, but the BaaBaas, against the Boks is something I am grateful for,” the 34-year-old said.
Coach Scott Robertson said they have been preparing all week as if it were a Test, even though there is a good measure of ‘team bonding’ and off-field revelry involved during the build-up.
Perenara said the intensity of the training has been what they would do for a Test week.
(WATCH as BaaBaas captain TJ Perenara and coach Scot Robertson give their insights into Saturday’s face-off with the Springboks……)
“We make sure that our commitment and intensity between those four lines is so that we prepare ourselves the best way we can,” he told @JanDKrugby.
“What we do on the [training] field is such a high level that we are ready to go.
“We only get to be around each other for six days before we play the best team in the world.”
He added that they may not nail all their details on Saturday and play exactly the way they want to, so they will rely on the connections they made off the field to keep them together under pressure on Saturday.
“We don’t go too far,” he said of the off-field jollifications, because “we do have a Test match to play.
“Our ability to get that balance right is important. It relates to how far into the night you go and when to stop.
“This group wants to win.
“Our best chance to win is to get our connections right at the beginning of the week and then cement it through the week.”
The coach, known by the moniker Razor, said they don’t see the Bok selection as ‘secondary’.
“Any player who puts a Bok jersey on deserves it,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “I like the mix of the Under-20 players coming in.
“It is a helluva match team they have put out, with plenty of experience.
“They will be proud, as they normally are.”
Robertson concluded: “We are all really excited for Saturday.
“To play against the world champions in South Africa is an awesome opportunity.
“We have embraced the Barbarians’ spirit and tradition this week, coming together as a group and enjoying each other’s company in Cape Town.”
@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com
* Picture credit: @Barbarian_FC
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