TJ Perenara relishing head to head with old pal Jamison Gibson-Park

Pair were teammates at Hurricanes in New Zealand but will face off as Ireland host All Blacks

TJ Perenara leads the haka in the Rugby Championship in September. Perenara says he is impressed with Ireland's evolving game-plan. PIcture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara is relishing the chance to go head-to-head with former team-mate and “super dude” Jamison Gibson-Park when Ireland welcome New Zealand back to a sold-out Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The two number nines, both aged 29, were both on the Hurricanes’ Super Rugby roster together before Gibson-Park moved to Ireland and joined Leinster in 2016, qualifying for Ireland through residency and making his Test debut a year ago.