Ma'a Nonu

Ma'a Nonu

Player information
Full name	Ma'a Allan Nonu
birthday	May 21, 1982
place of birth	Wellington , New Zealand
size	182 cm
Nickname	Skux
society
society	-
position	Inner three quarters
Clubs as active
Years	society	Games (points)
2011–2012	Ricoh Black Rams	11 (30)
province
province	Wellington Lions
position	Inner three quarters
Provinces as active
Years	province	Games (points)
since 2002	Wellington Lions	61 (140)
franchise
franchise	Highlanders
position	Inner three quarters
Franchises as active
Years	franchise	Games (points)
2003–2011 2012 since 2013	Hurricanes Blues Highlanders	116 (215) 14 (10) 3 (0)
National team
Years	National team	Games (points)
since 2003	New Zealand	100 (150)
Status: March 22, 2013 National team: October 9, 2015

Ma'a Allan Nonu MNZM (born May 21, 1982 in Wellington , New Zealand ) is a New Zealand rugby union player with Samoan roots on the position of the inner three quarters , but he can also play as the outer three quarters. With the All Blacks he won the World Championship in 2011 and 2015 . Nonu is known for his dreadlocks and his past love of wearing eyeliner in the field .

He is a devout Mormon .

background

Playfully he is known for his explosiveness as well as his powerful attacks and his breaking through the lines of defense. Graham Henry , coach of the All Blacks, described him as "probably the best line breaker in the sport in this country". Henry and his predecessor John Mitchell have long used Nonu mainly as a key player from the bench, so that he was only on the starting line-up for four of his first twelve internationals.

Nonu has attack skills similar to that of former All Black inner three-quarters Tana Umaga . Like Umaga, Nonu is an excellent crash ball runner who is characterized by his ability to break through the defensive line and to make room for his outer three quarters. Graham Henry referred to Nonu as "the young Tana" in 2005, which gave the impression that Nonu was being established as the successor to Umaga. This comparison was later confirmed by assistant coach Wayne Smith .

Career

The beginnings

Nonu attended Strathmore Park Primary School and Rongotai College in Wellington. In 1999/2000 he played for the school selection and in 2001 for the U19 Wellingtons .

Professional career and all blacks

In 2002 he made his debut for his home province Wellington in the National Provincial Championship and in 2003 for their Hurricanes franchise in the Super 12 . With her Nonu made it to the semifinals, where they lost to the Crusaders . As he excelled in the Super 12, he was called up to the national team that same year and played his first international match on June 14, 2003 against England . In 2004 he also played sevens rugby for the New Zealand 7 rugby national team.

In 2003 Nonu was not nominated for the Tri Nations ; those responsible preferred Tana Umaga , Aaron Mauger and Dan Carter as the inner three quarters . For the 2003 World Cup he was back in the squad and played in the preliminary round against Canada , Italy and Tonga . He scored his first international attempt against Canada and generally impressed in attack with his breakthroughs and tall stature. However, his defensive skills could not reach the level of his offensive game. This, together with his international inexperience, resulted in his not being selected for the knockout games despite an injury from Umaga .

In 2004 Nonu was again not nominated for the Tri Nations due to a form low in the Super 12. Based on good performances for Wellington in the National Provincial Championship , he was then nominated for the November 2004 tour and came on as a substitute in all four international matches.

Nonu played most of the 2005 Super 12 season as the outside three-quarters, as Conrad Smith was preferred as a partner of Tana Umaga on the inside three-quarter position. Nonu managed a hat trick that season against the Brumbies , the 2004 Super 12 winners . The Hurricanes made it to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Crusaders 7:47. Nonu came on as a substitute for the second international match against the British and Irish Lions, replacing Sitiveni Sivivatu on the outside three-quarter position . Again he was not nominated for the Tri Nations 2005.

Wellington Lions captain Tana Umaga did not compete in the 2005 National Provincial Championship to take it easy . In his absence, Nonu was named captain and established himself as one of the most dangerous inner three quarters in New Zealand that season. He was called up for the November 2005 tour, came on as a substitute for Scotland and Wales and achieved his third starting lineup in the international against Ireland .

In 2006 the Hurricanes made it into the Super 14 final for the first and so far only time in their history. Nonu lost with his team, however, again against the Crusaders. Then he missed the selection for the Tri Nations again due to injury. Due to his absence from the Tri Nations he was able to compete for the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup from the start, which significantly improved their performance. With her Nonu reached the final of the championship four times in a row in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, but curiously, they failed each time. During the November tour of 2006 he was back in the national team. In 2007 he was again not nominated for the Tri Nations and was also not appointed to the World Cup squad, as those responsible preferred Luke McAlister , Aaron Mauger, Conrad Smith and Isaia Toeava as the inner three-quarters .

In 2008 Nonu came back to the semi-finals of the Super 14 with the Hurricanes, which they lost again to the Crusaders. He was considered for the Tri Nations and helped the All Blacks win their ninth Tri Nations title. With Wellington he won the Ranfurly Shield on September 20, 2008 against Auckland , which the team was able to defend six times until August 29, 2009 before losing it to Canterbury . He also took part in the November tour, on which he was set up three times in the starting lineup, was able to put attempts against Ireland, England and Wales and was praised as one of the best players of the tour.

In 2009 he lost the Super 14 semi-finals against the Chiefs with the Hurricanes . He was also able to defend his starting position in the All Blacks. In 2010, however, he injured himself at the end of the Super 14 season , so that he could not play in the June international matches. After his recovery, he was able to show his form in just 70 minutes, which he competed at regional club level, and got a regular place for the Tri Nations 2010 .

On October 9, 2015 Nonu played his 100th international match for the All Blacks in the preliminary round of the 2015 World Cup against Tonga . He succeeded in trying to get the final score of 47: 9. At the end of the world championship, Ma'a Nonu became world champion with the All Blacks.

Web links

• Profile of the All Blacks (English)
• Profile Hurricanes ( Memento from June 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
• Profile at Wellington (English)
• Profile at itsrugby (English)
• Profile at espn (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eye-catching Nonu all made up. BBC, November 2, 2004, accessed on March 4, 2015 (English). 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Daryl Fenemor: Great chance for "young Tana". In: TVNZ.co.nz. September 15, 2005, accessed March 4, 2015 . 
3. ↑ Nonu wins the ultimate accolade ( Memento from June 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 4, 2015 (English).
4. ↑ Simon Turnbull: Ma'a Nonu caps seven-try show as All Blacks advance to another Cardiff quarter-final. Report on rugbyworldcup.com, October 9, 2015 (English). Retrieved October 10, 2015.