TJ Perenara’s knee injury will rule him out of the second Test against England, with Noah Hotham joining what is an increasingly inexperienced halfback line-up.
Finlay Christie, who has 22 Test caps, will almost certainly start Saturday’s Test at Eden Park following Perenara’s injury, which occurred late in the first half of the All Blacks’ 16-15 victory over England in Dunedin.
The extent of the injury is not yet known. Perenara received it when part of a breakdown collapsed on his left knee, hyperextending it.
The uncapped Cortez Ratima, 23, will likely be on the reserves bench, with the similarly untested Hotham, 21, who impressed at times in a struggling Crusaders team this year, in as cover.
Assistant coach Jason Holland today said Perenara’s return was unknown at this stage. Last Saturday’s Test was his first since returning from a severe Achilles injury at the end of 2022.
“It looked pretty nasty didn’t it, when it happened. But he’s come through better than expected,” Holland said of Perenara.
“We’re waiting on a specialist to determine exact return-to-play dates but he’s better than expected. Hopefully it’s not too long.”
Christie replaced Perenara at halftime and performed well, particularly with his kicking game.
Hurricanes halfback Cam Roigard remains out with a knee injury of his own. He is expected to return later in the year.
Asked about Ratima's readiness, Holland said: "He knows it's a step up and he's been awesome for the last two and a half weeks we've been together. He's diligent... he's in a space where if he works really hard during the week, which I know he will, then he'll be ready to go."
Holland, an attack coach, said the All Blacks selectors had plenty to think about this week following the new coaching regime’s first Test in charge.
A priority will be finding keys to unlock an English rush defence was limited the All Blacks to two first-half tries and severely pressured the home side.
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