All Blacks star in talks for shock NRL switch - report
- 2784
All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara is in talks for a shock switch to rugby league according to a report by 1 NEWS.
This comes after speculation that New Zealand Rugby is opting not to offer TJ Perenara a contract following his current stint in the Japanese Top League.
1 NEWS reports that Perenara is considering a code switch with the Sydney Roosters reaching out to his agent Warren Alcock.
“We are talking to NZR and other parties that have approached us,” Alcock told 1 NEWS.
Perenara has family ties to rugby league despite not playing the code himself with his father, Thomas, a Junior Kiwi while his first cousin, Henry, is an NRL referee.
The All Black halfback is being viewed as a potential replacement for hooker Jake Friend, who recently retired.
Perenara is contracted to New Zealand Rugby until the end of this year and took up the opportunity to join the Red Hurricanes in Japan on a short-term contract late last year.
Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee told NZME he touched base with Perenara last week saying: "I had a long Zoom call with him and his manager and spoke about the Hurricanes and the All Blacks. We didn't talk about rugby league, just talked about the Hurricanes and obviously we're keen to get him home. He said he's keen to be a Hurricane and be an All Black again,"
"He's got choices and if there is truth to the Roosters rumour then obviously he's more than able to have that conversation, so we only control our conversation with TJ and we know how much he loves the Hurricanes.
