Rugby profile: Perenise looks to spruce up scrum

Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby prop Anthony Perenise boasts the nickname Spruce.
His former Hurricanes and Wellington teammate, former All Black Tamati Ellison, gave it to him.
"It happened one day when we were walking into our training room down in Wellington. There's was a big mirror and I always looked in it to see who was walking in behind me.
"Tamati thought I was looking at myself so he called me Spruce and told the boys I had plenty of sprucing up products in my bag. It stuck from there," recalled Perenise.
Naturally Perenise, a regular tighthead prop, hopes he looks good when he gives the loosehead role a crack in the Magpies sixth round ITM Cup clash against Otago in Dunedin tomorrow.
"I played loosehead for Samoa earlier in the year and went well. By getting more game time in the role it will increase my versatility and chances of being selected in the Samoan team for next year's World Cup," Perenise told SportToday.
"Clint (fellow Magpies prop Clint Newland) can play both sides and if things don't look good for me at loosehead I'll be asking Clint to swap back," said Perenise who will more than likely start off at tighthead which means he will mark former All Black Kees Meeuws.
"I've never marked Kees before so I will be interested to get his thoughts afterwards."
One of the more consistent performers for the Magpies in recent weeks, Perenise, 27, pointed out there is still room for improvement in his game.
"I know I can do better and there are a few areas which need touching up like my fitness levels and being tighter with my ball carries. The game has changed and us frontrowers have to be more mobile now."
Perenise, who is having his second stint with the Magpies after 10 consecutive first class starts in 2008, has been doing plenty of work in the gym with Magpies fitness trainer Grant Dearns, who he played loosehead prop for in Wellington age group teams.
"I've gone up from 118kgs to 120 ... I would like to think it's more muscle," said Perenise with a huge grin.
With the chance of more game time (he only had five Cup starting XV appearances for Wellington last year) and "better weather" Perenise had no hesitation in returning to the Bay.
"It was another opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and try something different."
Although the Magpies results haven't been as good as his last stint, Perenise is still confident a semifinal berth can be secured. He is hoping to be released from international duty with Samoa about semifinal time.
Perenise started in all three of Samoa's matches when they won the Pacific Nations Cup earlier this year and he knows a strong ITM Cup campaign will boost his chances of selection in the Samoan side for the end of year Northern Hemisphere tour and the World Cup.
When he's not training or playing rugby Perenise, like several of his Magpies teammates, enjoys playstation games. He had just completed a Call of Duty game when SportToday caught up him yesterday.
"I'm one of the better players in the team and we also get the opportunity to play against Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Wellington players. It's a good way to relax."
When Perenise finishes professional rugby he hopes to embark on a policing career.
"It's something I've always had a passion for. It's also a way of giving something back to the community."
SportToday suggested he's on track for a World Cup next year and maybe an appearance or two for the New Zealand Police team in the future.
Come tomorrow he won't be looking that far ahead. He will be doing his best to help the Magpies register another win ... with stints on both sides of the scrum.