To be blunt, his continued presence in the No 9 jersey had many wondering if coach Scott Robertson was madly doubling down on an older player in whom only he had faith.
But if it was a gamble to pick Perenara – which Robertson will say it never was – it paid off.
It was a selection that delivered precisely what the head coach said it would, a calm, controlled performance that had the accuracy and urgency to facilitate a higher-tempo, slicker attack that was more dynamic and effective.
Perenara’s experience became the trump card Robertson said it would be and the veteran looked about 10 years younger in his physical approach compared with the previous week, and yet, also 10 years wiser.
He was snappy and sharp, alive to where the space was and spotted a mismatch in the blink of an eye that enabled him to charge down a short blindside then flip a clever pass to Will Jordan, who scorched home over 40 metres.
That was the old head coming into play, and the more the forwards dominated, the more momentum they built, the more comfortable and influential Perenara became.
He found his runners, sniped round the base, put the box kick away and played with the same simple, direct approach as the forwards in front of him.
And he did all this with the natural competitor within him shining through.
There were a few words for the Pumas at breakdowns, a few gestures designed to irritate and provoke, and it was classic Perenara – he was in the opposition’s face, goading them and breaking them.
This was a coming-of-age performance for the All Blacks and a redemption night for Perenara who, whether he was aware of it or not, had a legion of doubters unsure he had the capacity to play with the speed and alacrity of the two younger nines in the All Blacks squad.
“I haven’t heard outside criticism,” he said when asked if he felt he had proved a point.
“I imagine there will be people out there who do like the way I play and people who don’t like the way I play.
“This week as well, there will be people who will say I played well and people who will say I played poorly.
“My job is to go out there and play every game. I have a point to prove to myself week in week out.
“I get that it is about storytelling and building hype before a game, and I get all that. But my job is to do my job to the best of my ability.”
Having seen Perenara back at his best and justifying his selection, Robertson took the opportunity to play a little confused when he was asked whether Perenara had just shown “that he’s still got it”.
In Robertson’s mind, Perenara never lost it, and while there may have been widespread disapproval regarding the decision to persevere with the veteran No 9, the coach has clearly never had any doubts.
“He played well, didn’t he?” Robertson said with a huge smile, something Perenara was eager to state was only possible because of the efforts of the pack and playmakers Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett and Beauden Barrett.
“How we played the game was smart,” Perenara said. “We didn’t play heaps in our own half, and we kicked for space a lot of the time and gave ourselves opportunities in the right area of the field.
“There were more collisions and more opportunities to be physical, and D-Mac [McKenzie], Jordie and Baz [Beauden Barrett] did a really good job of leading us around the field.
“There is never a game where you say, ‘We were perfect out there and did everything we wanted to do’.
“There are things that we want to be better at, but a lot of things we wanted to do in that game, we did well. Our effort was good and our change of speed, getting the ball and putting pressure on was high. Those are areas we take a lot of pride in.”
