Nonu-Hurricanes reunion not on the cards yet
Ma’a Nonu and the Ioane brothers don’t come up every day at Rugby League Park.
Never mind the hole the Hurricanes have dug for themselves this season, let’s talk about next year. Principally whether Nonu might be coming back for a third stint at the franchise and if incoming coach John Plumtree has been able to tee up Akira or Rieko Ioane?
‘‘No, I haven’t spoken to Ma’a for a long time,’’ Plumtree said yesterday.
Fine. But are you near to signing him?
‘‘No.’’
If you did sign him, though, where would be play? ‘‘Probably in the midfield.’’ The pair go way back, with Plumtree coaching Nonu for Wellington in the early 2000s, before being reunited at the Hurricanes in 2015.
Nonu, now 36, left French club Toulon recently, for parts unknown. An all-time Hurricanes great, Nonu also spent a few Super Rugby seasons in exile, playing for the Blues and Highlanders, but always keeping in touch with Plumtree.
Like in 2011, when Nonu was still with the Hurricanes and Plumtree came to Wellington as coach of the Sharks.
‘‘I’ve got some nice pauas here from Ma’a, ‘‘ Plumtree said, at the time. ‘‘He’s dropped them off. They’re all legal size and there’s not too many. You’re allowed 10, aren’t ya?
‘‘Yeah, we’ve caught up. He’s great. Just saw him now actually and he’ll be coming back [to Durban] with us. You guys can print that. No, I’m joking.’’
Plumtree eventually got his man, when he and Chris Boyd took over the Hurricanes in 2015. Head coach Boyd leaves for Northampton at the end of this season, with Plumtree to be promoted from assistant.
That means working on recruitment even while this campaign is in full cry. The Hurricanes host the Ioane brothers’ Blues team at Westpac Stadium on Saturday, having apparently sounded them out about a shift.
‘‘We’re not chasing Akira now because we believe he’s staying with the Blues,’’ said Plumtree.
‘‘He was made available to every franchise in the country a little while ago and I’m sure there were a lot of clubs interested in Akira, like we were, but we believe he’s staying at the Blues.’’ Like his brother?
‘‘I would say he’ll be staying at the Blues too.’’
With loose forward Brad Shields bound for England at the end of the season, Plumtree said it was an area the Hurricanes were eager to reinforce.
‘‘We’ve lost a couple of players in that position next year and if a player pops up that we think would do a good job for us or we feel like we could improve; and I’m certainly not saying that in Akira’s case. He’s a great player, he’s done well for the Blues and he would come in to any club’s interest.
‘‘We’ve got a gap for that type of player but we don’t believe Akira will be coming.’’