TJ Perenara: Aaron Smith has made me a better player throughout my career
- Mark Pickering
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Black Rams Tokyo captain TJ Perenara faced his long-time former All Blacks colleague Aaron Smith for possibly the last time on Sunday as the latter’s Toyota Verblitz prevailed 40-28 to keep alive their play-off hopes.
Perenara, 34, has been the driving force behind the Black Rams’ impressive season with Tabai Matson’s fourth-placed team on the verge of booking a play-off spot for the first time in the League One era.
The 89-cap All Black, an ever-present for the Rams in his second year in Tokyo, competed with Smith for New Zealand’s number nine jersey for almost the entirety of their Test careers and went toe-to-toe in Super Rugby for the Hurricanes and the Highlanders.
Perenara and Smith, 37, won the World Cup in 2015 and won bronze four years later in Tokyo.
Former Manawatu and Highlanders scrum-half Smith ended his Test career with 124 caps when he moved to Japan following the 2023 World Cup with Perenara calling time on his All Blacks career to move to League One a year later.
Smith is understood to be in the final year on his three-year deal with Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s resurgent Toyota side as the Aichi outfit’s late play-off push hangs in the balance with two rounds to go.
Perenara, who opened the scoring for the hosts against Toyota, is hopeful that Sunday’s outing – which saw the Rams miss a chance to confirm their play-off berth – is not the last time he faces his fellow All Blacks legend.
“I don’t think it’ll be the last time we play each other,” he told RugbyJP.com.
“I think Aaron’s got more to give. He’s found form of late and he’s playing really well.”
Smith has made a host of appearances from the bench this season which Hansen revealed is due to the competition’s strict criteria of having to field at least 11 Japan-qualified players on the pitch at all times.
Perenara added that if that was their last match against each other, he has nothing but gratitude for the times they’ve spent together during their long and decorated careers.
“If it is the last time that we do play each other I’ve enjoyed every minute of competing against a really good mate of mine.
“Aaron’s a very good friend of mine. Our relationship goes beyond rugby itself. We speak often, about rugby, about life and how things are going.
“He’s made me a better player through my career and I hope I’ve impacted him in the same way but our rugby relationship is far secondary to our personal relationship.”
The Rams host title-chasing Kubota Spears in Fukushima on Sunday in the penultimate round of the regular season.
Revitalised Toyota entertain Suntory Sungoliath in a must-win game 24 hours earlier on Saturday in Aichi.