All Blacks number 10 Ruben Love has shown a clip on instagram linking up with All Blacks and Hurricanes legend TJ Perenara.
Perenara also shared footage, captioned with “Iron sharpens iron” as the pair worked on kicking and fitness as Love prepares for the ‘Greatest Rivalry’ tour of South Africa.
TJ Perenara had previously spoken about how Love, even from a young age, had always been willing to improve when coming through at the Hurricanes and Wellington. Love would join the 89-cap All Black scrum half and Ngani Laumape for extra skills training each day.
The bond between Love and Perenara
The relationship between Ruben Love and TJ Perenara is a textbook story of mentorship evolving into a genuine brotherhood, built over years spent together with Wellington and the Hurricanes.
First sharing a locker room at the NPC level before linking up at the Hurricanes, the pair gravitated toward each other through a shared, relentless work ethic. Long before team trainings officially began, they were routinely the first to arrive for early-morning gym sessions, extra kicking, and recovery work. Off the pitch, the dynamic was just as strong; Love regularly hung out at Perenara’s home playing golf or eight-ball pool, soaking up wisdom from the veteran All Black scrum-half.
Their bond reached a storybook milestone in October 2024 when they shared the pitch during Love’s All Blacks debut against Japan in Yokohama—fulfilling a personal goal they had set together years earlier for Perenara’s final Test campaign to overlap with Love’s debut. Love has described Perenara as a monumental figure who set the ultimate standard for accountability in the Hurricanes setup. Though Perenara eventually moved on to play overseas, his guidance remains a defining influence on Love’s rise as a premier playmaker.
Why is Love so crucial ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour?
Ahead of the historic tour of South Africa, Ruben Love has emerged as a vital asset in Scott Robertson’s All Black backline. With an intense eight-match schedule—featuring four Tests across high-altitude venues like Ellis Park—tactical adaptability and squad depth will determine the tour’s success.
Love’s supreme value stems from his seamless utility as a dual-threat playmaker at both fullback and fly-half. Against the Springboks’ oppressive rush defence and relentless aerial bombardment, having a second kicking and distributing option in the 15 jersey is essential. Love possesses elite spatial awareness, lightning-fast acceleration, and the vision to ignite lethal counter-attacks from deep off broken play.
Fresh off an extraordinary, championship-winning Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes, Love enters the tour with supreme confidence. Whether starting at fullback to stretch South Africa’s defensive line across the wide channels or entering off the bench to exploit tiring opposition forwards late in Tests, his game-breaking spark and positional flexibility make him indispensable for New Zealand on South African soil.
