TJ Perenara returns to New Zealand squad after injury to Finlay Christie

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster has recalled scrum-half TJ Perenara into the squad ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener against Australia as an injury cover to Finlay Christie.

Christie was sidelined with a shoulder injury during a training session on Thursday and is being assessed to find the extent of the damage.

New Zealand skipper Sam Whitelock confirmed the news on Christie.

“Finlay got a bit of a bump and bruise yesterday. We had a pretty intense training and he's just a bit beaten up. I don’t know much more than that,” said Whitelock to the media on Friday.

Meanwhile, Perenara was initially named in the squad by Foster but was released for provincial duty to feature for Wellington in the National Provincial Championship.

Perenara has played 69 Tests for the All Blacks between 2014 and 2020 and was part of the squad that competed in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.

The opening two games of the Bledisloe Cup will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on 7th and 14th August before both Australia and New Zealand head to Perth for the final game scheduled on 28th August.