‘Selfless’ Nonu earns praise of new Blues coach
The buzz around the Blues is that Ma’a Nonu is in the shape of his life and believes he can challenge for an All Blacks spot nearly four years after he last squeezed into that tight black jumper.
New coach Leon Macdonald, good southern man that he is, wasn’t indulging in that sort of hype when he spoke to the media three weeks into the Blues’ pre-season preparations on a gloriously sunny afternoon at Alexandra Park yesterday.
But he also wasn’t dampening any enthusiasm around the third coming of the blockbusting midfielder with the Blues, even if the 36-year-old, 103-test, dual-world Cupwinning No 12 wasn’t actually his signing.
Nonu was snapped up by former boss Tana Umaga before the new Blues board decided to fast-forward a coaching rejig and promoted Macdonald into the top job a year ahead of schedule.
Umaga, as it transpires, is still there, now reassigned as an assistant coach and the feeling round the beleaguered franchise is that the former All Blacks skipper, and Nonu mentor, can be a positive influence on the veteran midfielder as he makes an unlikely run at a test swansong.
Nonu will be 37 during next year’s Super Rugby competition, and hasn’t played for the All Blacks since that 2015 World Cup final triumph over Australia at Twickenham. In fact, he hasn’t had a competitive game of rugby since the end of the last French season when he wound up with Toulon.
But Macdonald said early signs were promising, to say the least, around Nonu’s intent and influence at this late juncture in his career. He looked in outstanding shape as he went through his pre-season work.
‘‘He’s come back with a selfless attitude around contributing to this team which is brilliant for us,’’ said the rookie Super Rugby head coach. ‘‘He’s rubbing shoulders with the young guys, he’s doing a lot of skillwork, and he takes it upon himself to sit down with the guys and give feedback.
‘‘He’s also desperate for feedback from the coaching group. He wants to grow his own game, and at the moment he’s taking it day by day, week by week and adjusting back to life in New Zealand.
‘‘Rugby is a little different here than in France. The sun’s on your back and the ball is being moved around, and from where we’re sitting he’s enjoying that.’’
Asked if there were any signs of rust after an extended spell out of the game, Macdonald smiled and said: ‘‘If you spoke to anyone, there’s there no signs he’s in his 30s at all. He’s running round like a teenager, so that’s good to see.’’
Of course Macdonald will have not one but two dual World Cup-winning midfielders in his squad in the form of Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams. He was asked how he planned to utilise a pair who are both at their best in the No 12 jersey.
‘‘A lot,’’ he declared. ‘‘Sonny’s enjoying his break at the moment, but he’s been in the gym and around the team a little bit. But having Ma’a here right from the start, he’s made his intentions clear, put his head down and got into his work.
‘‘He’s really trying to earn respect through his efforts which is a fantastic philosophy. He’s been training really hard and imparting his experience on the younger players and we’re benefiting from his involvement already.’’
Macdonald confirmed all his All Blacks would return in time to be considered for the much-anticipated opening round clash against the Crusaders and at this stage he was not under any firm instructions around any players, Williams included.
‘‘It’s his time to freshen up. It’s a big year for all those All Blacks, they’re all pushing for spots in the World Cup squad, so it’s important they get the off-season right and play for us in the Super season.’’
The new Blues coach was happy with his first three weeks with the bulk of his squad, said a lot of it had been spent bedding in the new coaching and leadership groups and getting an alignment on how they want to play the game.
It was also notable that despite it being a traditionally fitness-based period, the Blues were doing plenty with ball in hand. ‘‘We’ve got three new coaches all wanting to imprint their game, and if you leave it till after Xmas it’s too late,’’ added Macdonald.
But the pragmatic young coach is nothing if not a realist. ‘‘This time of the year is relatively easy because the sun is on your backs and you can work without the pressure of results hanging over your shoulders. We’re building relationships, putting work in, understanding the way we want to play and trying to get conditioned for the tough stuff ahead.’’