Nonu: Lunch, then Crusaders, then All Blacks?

First things first. Ma’a Nonu wants to be an All Black again.

That was the surprisingly frank admission made by the 36-year-old, 103-test double World Cup-winning All Black in his first chat with the media since resigning with the Blues late last year. Until now, he has turned down all requests to speak to reporters.

Nonu has returned to New Zealand after a near four-year absence playing for Toulon in France and has revealed the motivations that drive him in 2019.

The powerful midfielder has nothing left to prove at the highest level, having been an important cog in the back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2011 and ‘15 and, alongside Conrad Smith, forming arguably the greatest centre pairing in the country’s test history.

But he concedes he remains motivated to perform at the highest levels and also has unfinished business in Super Rugby where he has not always been able to produce the level of rugby he has in the black jersey.

Asked, following a training session yesterday in intense summer heat in Auckland, whether being an All Black again in 2019 was a motivating goal, Nonu did not dodge the question. His condition has been the talk of the Blues this pre-season, and it appears he is not about to sell himself short now.

‘‘I think it’s there on everyone’s minds,’’ he said of the prospect of an unlikely resumption to his test career. ‘‘For me it’s trying to make the Blues team first, so one step at a time.’’

That first stride down the path will take place at Eden Park on Saturday night when the Blues open their season against back-toback champions the Crusaders. Nonu looks set to start in the midfield, possibly alongside TJ Faiane.

He was not keen, though, to expand on what playing at a fourth World Cup, and bidding for an unprecedented hat-trick of titles, would mean to him.

‘‘All I’m thinking about is lunch right now and this game this week [against the Crusaders], so I can’t really tell you,’’ he said.

And, no, he has not spoken to All Blacks coach Steve Hansen yet this season. Those conversations might come later, if Nonu manages to produce the form that returns him to being in contenton for the national team.

But Nonu did concede he had things still to prove in Super Rugby that were also big motivators for him this season.

‘‘Yeah, I haven’t won a Super Rugby title before, have come up short twice, and played in a lot of semifinals for the Hurricanes. It’s another driver this year,’’ he told a large media contingent.

He admitted it was ‘‘surreal’’ to be re-entering the Super Rugby arena after such a long absence, but said finishing his playing career was something that had not yet entered his thinking.

‘‘There are a lot of young players playing, and a lot of great players playing, and I’m stoked to be running around. I haven’t thought about stopping. Hopefully I can still play at this level and that’s the challenge I’m looking forward to.’’

Asked the secret of his remarkable condition at an age when many players are long past their best, Nonu smiled and said: ‘‘I guess it’s what you put in your mouth. [The body] hasn’t always been in good shape but I’ve learned with experience about my body and my mind.’’