Former All Blacks player Ma'a Nonu performs solo haka against current All Blacks in South Africa
Consensus Summary
Former All Blacks star Ma'a Nonu, now 44 years old, made headlines when he performed a solo haka against the current All Blacks team while playing for the Sharks in South Africa. Nonu, who played 103 or 104 matches for New Zealand from 2003 to 2015, was signed by the Sharks a week ago to help develop their young players and was drafted onto the bench due to injuries. The match, the Sharks' first against the All Blacks in 30 years, ended in a 54-0 victory for New Zealand. Nonu entered the game with 20 minutes left and clashed with flyhalf Ruben Love, who was 2 years old when Nonu debuted. The All Blacks opened up in the last 30 minutes, and Nonu described the experience as a privilege, performing the haka out of respect for his family and the team. The event marked the first time a South African team had replied to the haka with another haka, creating a lasting memory of the match.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Ma'a Nonu played 103 or 104 matches for New Zealand from 2003 to 2015
- Ma'a Nonu is 44 years old
- The Sharks signed Ma'a Nonu a week ago to help develop their young players
- The Sharks' first match against the All Blacks in 30 years took place
- Ma'a Nonu was drafted onto the bench to face the All Blacks due to the Sharks' injury list
- Ma'a Nonu performed the All Blacks' haka (Kapa o Pango) solo against the current All Blacks team
- The All Blacks won the match 54-0
- Ma'a Nonu spoke to New Zealand assistant coaches Tana Umaga and Tamati Ellison on Monday about replying to the haka
- Ma'a Nonu entered the game with 20 minutes remaining
- Ma'a Nonu's first touch was with flyhalf Ruben Love, who was 2 years old when Nonu debuted for New Zealand
- The All Blacks opened up in the last 30 minutes of the match
- Only Codie Taylor and Beauden Barrett from Nonu's last All Blacks squad still play for New Zealand
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The match took place at soggy Kings Park
- Ma'a Nonu said he was 'chasing [his] tail' as the All Blacks ran out 54-0 winners
- The Sharks performed the haka in Durban according to the Guardian, but ABC says Kings Park
- The match took place in soggy Durban
- The haka reply occurred on Tuesday according to the Guardian, but ABC says Monday
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC says the match was on Monday, but the Guardian says it was on Tuesday
- The ABC states Ma'a Nonu played 103 matches for New Zealand from 2003-15, while the Guardian says 104 matches from 2003 to 2015
- The ABC says the match took place at soggy Kings Park, but the Guardian says it was in soggy Durban
Source Articles
'Rude to say no': All Blacks icon performs solo haka against current team
After 103 matches in All Blacks colours, Ma'a Nonu faces his old teammates and decides to return serve during the pre-match haka.
All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu performs solo haka against New Zealand in South Africa tour match
Nonu on Sharks bench after signing for South African side last week ‘I thought it was the right thing to do,’ says 104-cap former All Black South African rugby teams love facing the haka. None have ever replied to New Zealand’s traditional pre-match challenge with another haka until Tuesday. Ma’a Nonu stepped in front of his new Sharks teammates and performed a solo haka in what will probably be the lasting memory of a tour match the New Zealanders won 54-0 in soggy Durban. Continue reading...