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TJ Perenara made his much anticipated All Blacks debut in early June 2014, coming off the bench with 15 minutes to go and helping the All Blacks to a 20-15 first Test win over England.?

Former schoolboy star Perenara had been firmly in the All Blacks frame for several months, having been a member of the squad on their 2013 end of year tour to Europe. He had continued his strong 2013 form with several dynamic performances for the Hurricanes, including scoring a try and outplaying All Blacks number one scrumhalf Aaron Smith at Westpac Stadium.

Perenara's youthful exuberance, high skill level and professionalism on and off the field a reason for the Hurricanes being the leading attacking team in the competition and still in playoff contention as it broke for its international window in June 2014.

Previously, he capped off a brilliant rookie Investec Super Rugby season by winning the Wellington Emerging Sportsman of the Year at the Wellington Sports Awards in June 2012.?

The award was a fantastic achievement for Perenara who had made every post a winning one since debuting for the Wellington Lions against Southland in the final ITM Cup round-robin game of 2010 against Southland.

Cruelly, Perenara broke his leg whilst scoring a try at the end of the Hurricanes' mid-June exhibition match against the Reds and was sidelined for the rest of the year. ?

Previously, selection at halfback for his first Lions cap came soon after he was bestowed the honour of captaining the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ side to their one-off ‘Test’ against Australia Schools in Dunedin. He also kicked 15 points in a 30-21 win. Perenara, who was still at school in 2010 at Mana College, previously stood out for his Northern United club side at the business end of the season, helping to lead them to a Jubilee Cup semi-final victory over Hutt Old Boys Marist and then winning the Jim Brown Medal for the Player of the Match in Norths’ final win against Poneke.