Ma'a Nonu

Ma'a Allan Nonu (IPA: [mɑːʔɑ nɒnuː], born 21 May 1982 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Nonu plays for the Wellington Lions in the NPC, the Hurricanes in the Super 14, and the New Zealand All Blacks. He plays in the centre position, but can also cover second five-eighth and wing.

Nonu is known for his blonde-streaked dreadlocks and former penchant for wearing eyeliner on the field. He is a powerful attacking runner who regularly breaks the defensive line. He has enough speed to play on the wing, but lacks the raw pace of a specialist in the position. All Blacks coach Graham Henry has described him as "probably the best linebreaker in this game in this country."[1] His range of skills is limited compared to his competitors for the All Blacks midfield positions, and while he can be a powerful one-on-one tackler, his all-round defensive game is a weak point at the highest level. Henry and his All Blacks coaching predecessor John Mitchell have mainly used Nonu as an impact player off the bench in Tests. He has started only 3 of his 11 Tests.

Nonu has a similar attacking skillset to All Black centre Tana Umaga: like Umaga, he is an exceptional crash ball runner who excels at breaking the line and creating space for outside backs. Henry has called Nonu "young Tana,"[2] underlining the impression that he is being groomed as a potential successor to Umaga.

Career overview

Nonu attended Rongotai College in Wellington. He played for Wellington Secondary Schools in 1999-2000 and Wellington Under 19s in 2001. He made his provincial debut for Wellington in the 2002 NPC and debuted for the Hurricanes in the 2003 Super 12. He played for the New Zealand Sevens in 2004. On the back of some outstanding Super 12 form, Nonu made his Test debut for the All Blacks on June 14, 2003, starting at centre in a 15-13 loss to England.

Nonu missed selection for the 2003 Tri Nations, with the selecters preferring Umaga, Aaron Mauger and Daniel Carter in the midfield. He was selected for the All Blacks' 2003 World Cup squad and played in pool matches against Canada, Italy and Tonga. He scored his first Test try against Canada and was generally impressive on attack. However, question marks over his defensive game and inexperience meant he was not selected for the knockout stage of the tournament despite an injury to Umaga.

Nonu missed selection for the Tri Nations in 2004 after a form slump in the Super 12. He forced his way back into contention playing for Wellington in the 2004 NPC, and played as a substitute in all four matches on the All Blacks' undefeated end of year tour to Europe.

Nonu played on the wing for much of the 2005 Super 12, with Conrad Smith preferred as Umaga's midfield partner. Standout performances included a hat trick against 2004 Super 12 champions the Brumbies. Nonu played at second five-eighth for the Possibles in the 2005 All Blacks trial, scoring two tries and setting up two more to inspire the Possibles to an upset win over the Probables. He played in the second Test against the 2005 British and Irish Lions as a substitute, replacing Sitiveni Sivivatu on the wing. He again missed selection for the 2005 Tri Nations.

Wellington Lions captain Umaga was rested during the 2005 NPC, and in his absence Nonu was promoted to the captaincy of the team. During the NPC, he established himself as one of New Zealand's most dangerous midfield runners. He was selected for the 2005 All Blacks Grand Slam tour, playing Tests as a substitute against Wales and Scotland, and earning his third Test start against Ireland. He was cited for an alleged spear tackle against Gordon D'Arcy during the Test against Ireland, but was later cleared of the charge.

References

• "Great chance for 'young Tana'" by Daryl Fenemor, One Sport website, September 15, 2005, retrieved December 2, 2005.

External links

• Ma'a Nonu at AllBlacks.com