Ma'a Nonu
Encyclopedia
Ma'a Allan Nonu is a professional Samoan rugby union
player from New Zealand. Nonu plays for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup and the New Zealand All Blacks
. He plays in the second-five eighth position (called inside centre in Europe), but can also cover (outside) centre and wing.
has described him as "probably the best linebreaker in this game in this country."http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/611426
Nonu has a similar attacking skillset to former 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. In 2005, Henry described Nonu as "young Tana," underlining the impression that he was being groomed as a potential successor to Umaga. This comparison has been confirmed in recent times by Wayne Smith
.
in Wellington
. He played for Wellington Secondary Schools in 1999-2000 and Wellington Under 19s in 2001. He also played rugby league
as a youngster.
in 2004. On the back of some outstanding Super 12 form, Nonu made his Test debut for the All Blacks on 14 June 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 and easily breaking the line and his big stature was intimidating to the opposition. 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.
In 2006 Ma'a Nonu was ruled out of the Tri Nations squad due to injury, Mils Muliaina
being chosen to take his place. He damaged the base of his left thumb playing club rugby in Wellington, which required him to have surgery. He was, however, included in the end of year tour with the All Blacks.
Due to his absence from the All Blacks Tri Nations squad Ma'a Nonu was able to play every game with the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup
, which greatly helped them.
Nonu missed out on selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, with the selectors preferring Aaron Mauger
, Luke McAlister
, Conrad Smith and Isaia Toeava
in the centres.
and play in the National Rugby League
(NRL) after the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. A move overseas was seen as more likely as he was not named in Graham Henry
's 2007 squad but was instead dropped to the Junior All Blacks. As of 2008, Nonu has returned to the All Blacks, starting in the majority of tests throughout the year. He is now regarded as the first choice inside center for the All Blacks. CEO Michael Searle
has expressed interest in signing Nonu.
Nonu was selected for the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup squad after missing out in 2007. He played in the opening match scoring the final try of the game.
On 23 October 2011, he played on the final game against France, which the All Blacks won by 8-7 becoming 2011 World Champions.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player from New Zealand. Nonu plays for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup and the New Zealand All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. He plays in the second-five eighth position (called inside centre in Europe), but can also cover (outside) centre and wing.
Background
Nonu is known for his blonde-streaked dreadlocks and former penchant for wearing eyeliner on the field. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/3974221.stm He is equally well known for his explosiveness and powerful attacking runs and regularly breaks the defensive line at will. All Blacks coach Graham HenryGraham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
has described him as "probably the best linebreaker in this game in this country."http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/611426
Nonu has a similar attacking skillset to former All Black centre Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa "Tana" Umaga, ONZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He played for the Hurricanes starting with the Super 12's inception in 1996 and took over the captaincy in 2003...
. Like Umaga, he is an exceptional crash ball
Crash ball
The crash ball is an attacking tactic in rugby league and rugby union where a player receives a pass at pace and runs to the opposition's defensive line...
runner who excels at breaking the line and creating space for outside backs. In 2005, Henry described Nonu as "young Tana," underlining the impression that he was being groomed as a potential successor to Umaga. This comparison has been confirmed in recent times by Wayne Smith
Wayne Smith (rugby player)
Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35...
.
Early career
Nonu attended Strathmore Park Primary School in Wellington, then he attended Rongotai CollegeRongotai College
Rongotai College is an all-boys state secondary school in the south-eastern suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, New Zealand. The students are aged 12 to 19.The decile 6 school has a roll of over 650 students...
in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. He played for Wellington Secondary Schools in 1999-2000 and Wellington Under 19s in 2001. He also played rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
as a youngster.
Professional career and the All Blacks
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 SevensRugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
in 2004. On the back of some outstanding Super 12 form, Nonu made his Test debut for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003, starting at centre in a 15-13 loss to England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
Nonu missed selection for the 2003 Tri Nations, with the selecters preferring Umaga, Aaron Mauger
Aaron Mauger
Aaron Joseph Douglas Mauger is a former rugby union player who played at centre for Leicester Tigers. He previously played first five-eighths and second five-eighths for Canterbury , the Crusaders and the New Zealand All Blacks...
and Daniel Carter
Daniel Carter (rugby player)
Daniel William "Dan" Carter is a New Zealand rugby union player.He is currently the highest points scorer in test match rugby and is regarded as one of rugby's greatest ever fly-halves.-Early life:...
in the midfield. He was selected for the All Blacks' 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
squad and played in pool matches against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
and Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
. He scored his first Test try against Canada and was generally impressive on attack and easily breaking the line and his big stature was intimidating to the opposition. 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
Conrad Smith
Conrad Gerard Smith is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He is a midfield back and plays outside centre . He had been in many Taranaki age group teams. He moved to Wellington where he completed an LLB at Victoria University of Wellington...
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
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
as a substitute, replacing Sitiveni Sivivatu
Sitiveni Sivivatu
Sitiveni Waica Sivivatu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, playing on the position of a wing. He was largely successful in the 2005 Super 12 season playing for the Chiefs, and acquired a starting position in the All Blacks. He has scored 29 tries in 45 tests...
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
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
tour, playing Tests as a substitute against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
, and earning his third Test start against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. He was cited for an alleged spear tackle
Spear tackle
A spear tackle is a dangerous tackle in rugby union, rugby league and Australian rules football whereby a player lifts another player into the air and dumps or drops them upside down...
against Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon William D'Arcy is an Irish rugby player, more specifically an inside centre. He is registered to Lansdowne RFC and plays for provincial and RaboDirect Pro12 side Leinster.-Career:...
during the Test against Ireland, but was later cleared of the charge.
In 2006 Ma'a Nonu was ruled out of the Tri Nations squad due to injury, Mils Muliaina
Mils Muliaina
Junior Malili Muliaina , better known as Mils Muliaina, is a rugby union player. He plays for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and New Zealand at international level. He was born in Salesi, Samoa, then moved with his family to Invercargill, New Zealand, at the age of two...
being chosen to take his place. He damaged the base of his left thumb playing club rugby in Wellington, which required him to have surgery. He was, however, included in the end of year tour with the All Blacks.
Due to his absence from the All Blacks Tri Nations squad Ma'a Nonu was able to play every game with the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
, which greatly helped them.
Nonu missed out on selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, with the selectors preferring Aaron Mauger
Aaron Mauger
Aaron Joseph Douglas Mauger is a former rugby union player who played at centre for Leicester Tigers. He previously played first five-eighths and second five-eighths for Canterbury , the Crusaders and the New Zealand All Blacks...
, Luke McAlister
Luke McAlister
Charles Luke McAlister is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays first five-eighths and second five-eighths ....
, Conrad Smith and Isaia Toeava
Isaia Toeava
Isaia "Ice" Toeava , is a professional rugby union player in New Zealand.-Early career:Toeava attended De La Salle College, Mangere East, he played alongside Taniela Moa in the school's First XV rugby team. He represented New Zealand U-19 where he was named the IRB's Under-19 2005 player of the year...
in the centres.
Rugby league
In December 2006, Nonu expressed a desire to switch codes to rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and play in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL) after the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. A move overseas was seen as more likely as he was not named in Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
's 2007 squad but was instead dropped to the Junior All Blacks. As of 2008, Nonu has returned to the All Blacks, starting in the majority of tests throughout the year. He is now regarded as the first choice inside center for the All Blacks. CEO Michael Searle
Michael Searle
Michael Searle is an Australian businessman and rugby league football identity. He is the Chief Executive for the Gold Coast Titans, the National Rugby League's most recently added team...
has expressed interest in signing Nonu.
Blues
On 1 July 2011 Nonu announced he had signed a two-year contract with Super 15 franchise Auckland Blues after being sacked by the Hurricanes during the Super 15 rugby season.Tri-Nations & 2011 Rugby World Cup
Just before the Tri-Nations tournament Nonu played his first international of the year in a friendly against Fiji. He played New Zealand's first Tri-Nations game against South Africa. The All Blacks ended up winning 40-7. He then went on to play New Zealand's next game in the Tri-Nations against Australia where he scored the opening try. He played the final game of the tournament against Australia and scored his 21st international try.Nonu was selected for the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup squad after missing out in 2007. He played in the opening match scoring the final try of the game.
On 23 October 2011, he played on the final game against France, which the All Blacks won by 8-7 becoming 2011 World Champions.
External links
- Ma'a Nonu profile at Hurricanes.co.nz
- Statistics from Fox Sports