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Ma'a Allan Nonu born 21 May 1982 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand. Nonu plays for the Highlanders in Super Rugby and All Blacks internationally. He also plays for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup. He plays in the second-five eighth position (called inside centre in Europe and Australia), but can also cover (outside) centre and wing.Nonu has been known for his blonde-streaked dreadlocks and former penchant for wearing eyeliner on the field.[1] He is equally well known for his explosiveness and powerful attacking runs and regularly breaks the defensive line at will. 2011 World Cup-winning All Blacks coach Graham Henry has described him as "probably the best linebreaker in this game in this country."[2]
Nonu has been noted to possess a similar attacking skillset to former All Black centre Tana Umaga. Like Umaga, he is an exceptional crash ball runner who excels at breaking the line and creating space for outside backs. In 2005, Henry described Nonu as "young Tana,"[3] underlining the impression that he was being groomed as a potential successor to Umaga. This comparison has been confirmed in recent times by Wayne Smith.[4]
Career
Early career
Nonu attended Strathmore Park Primary School in Wellington, then he attended Rongotai College in Wellington. He played for Wellington Secondary Schools in 1999-2000 and Wellington Under 19s in 2001. He also played rugby league as a youngster.
Professional career and the All Blacks
He made his provincial debut for Wellington in the 2002 NPC and debuted for the Hurricanes in the 2003 Super 12. He played for the New Zealand Sevens in 2004. On the back of some outstanding Super 12 form, Nonu made his Test debut for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003, starting at centre in a 15-13 loss to England.
Nonu missed selection for the 2003 Tri Nations, with the selecters preferring Umaga, Aaron Mauger and Daniel Carter in the midfield. He was selected for the All Blacks' 2003 World Cup squad and played in pool matches against Canada, Italy and Tonga. He scored his first Test try against Canada and was generally impressive on attack and easily breaking the line and his big stature was intimidating to the opposition. However, question marks over his defensive game and inexperience meant he was not selected for the knockout stage of the tournament despite an injury to Umaga.
Nonu missed selection for the Tri Nations in 2004 after a form slump in the Super 12. He forced his way back into contention playing for Wellington in the 2004 NPC, and played as a substitute in all four matches on the All Blacks' undefeated end of year tour to Europe.
Nonu played on the wing for much of the 2005 Super 12, with Conrad Smith preferred as Umaga's midfield partner. Standout performances included a hat trick against 2004 Super 12 champions the Brumbies. Nonu played at second five-eighth for the Possibles in the 2005 All Blacks trial, scoring two tries and setting up two more to inspire the Possibles to an upset win over the Probables. He played in the second Test against the 2005 British and Irish Lions as a substitute, replacing Sitiveni Sivivatu on the wing. He again missed selection for the 2005 Tri Nations.
Wellington Lions captain Umaga was rested during the 2005 NPC, and in his absence Nonu was promoted to the captaincy of the team. During the NPC, he established himself as one of New Zealand's most dangerous midfield runners. He was selected for the 2005 All Blacks Grand Slam tour, playing Tests as a substitute against Wales and Scotland, and earning his third Test start against Ireland. He was cited for an alleged spear tackle against Gordon D'Arcy during the Test against Ireland, but was later cleared of the charge.
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